Saturday, March 28, 2009

Photos of Fantasy Beards!






Check it out! sweet photos of the show by Mr.Gregory White,photographer, who can be reached here:
www.gregorywhitephoto.com

the show is only up FOR ONE MORE DAY (as of this writing)...I will be at the gallery from 1-6 PM, Sunday. March 29th. And, yes, the 'very reasonably priced' 50 dollar beard drawing is still for sale, as are a few others. but even if you stone baroque, pop by, check it out, say HI!

Friday, March 27, 2009

New Beard Archetypes






These are a small series of New Beard Archetypes that I did for my first Toronto showing (November 2008), the group show "Amber One Foot Below" curated by Jay Isaac.
This series was meant to evoke people one would immediately seem to recognize, hence the archetypes in the name. They were also a modern riff on my Monster Mask series with their blank eye-holes for eyes. However, I found the subject matter too banal to linger on for too long hence the latest series of FANTASY BEARDS: beards that I'd like to see.

Reminder: the fantasy beards are only up until Sunday!

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Making Of The WATCHMEN soundtrack

A piece I wrote on the making of The Watchmen soundtrack is to be found here on a new culture blog:
http://guttersnipemedia.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/watchmen-zach-snyder-orders-up-a-coupla-tunes-on-the-puter/

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Still Minding!



yup, I will be minding the gallery Sat and sun, 1 Pm-ish onwards! Come visit and see the show! I will also be selling the new issue of Y2K Compatible for a buck each if yer on a budget! what is Y2K Compatible? I'll leave that for a future post!
Thanks to everyone who came out to the opening last nite! What a blast!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Minding The Gallery Today




So if you are in Toronto, feel free to come visit me after 1 PM at 962 Queen Street west, shown are a couple of pictures as a sneak peek.the opening (as shown in previous post) is tomorrow night (Friday)!
I'll be prepping my stand-up act for tonight. It is at jamie's Area opening for the LIFE OF A CRAPHEAD tour of which I have only heard great things!

I'm a Frog Tour ends in TONROTOTo!!!
at Jamie's Area
Life of a Craphead comes back from America with NEW SHOW, One Night Only
http://www.jamiesarea.org
on Thursday March 19
with

ROBERT DAYTON
ST HELEN
DAVID DINEEN PORTER
CHRIS LOCKE
VANESSA & DAVID
LAUREN BRIDE
9:00pm
Jamie's Area
Street:
193 Augusta
City/Town:
Toronto, ON

The rock show last night went super well- it was an awesome bill! I LUVVED all the bands- opening with totally warm early styled prog of THE BATTLESHIP, ETHEL (the less tech, warmer looser kind) and closing with the cold rumblings of WARLOCK MOON'S black metal, with us and the NWOBHM dyke metal stylings of HEAVY FILTH in-between! Thanks all who attended and, yes, WET DIRT will play again!

Monday, March 16, 2009

ROCK SHOW


Golllleeeee, it is a busy week here in Chez Dayton! Got the big ole art show opening this Friday (see previous post), doing some comedy at Jamie's area on Thursday nite, annnnnd..... this Wednesday the brand new rock band that I am in- WET DIRT- plays its' first show! WET DIRT is an apt name, a four piece consisting of me, Robin Fry (of Miniature Pancakes Band and Rosacea, who designed the snazzy poster shown here), Tobey Black (MAOW, The Gay), and Simon McNally. We've really enjoyed making rock songs, and they are rock songs, hard rock in a sort of classick eccentric Brit festival rock way yet more contempo and noisy with just enough roll added to make it curdle. This bill should be verrry interesting in the best possible sense: dyke metal of HEAVY FILTH, early Soft Machine styled instrumental prog of THE BATTLESHIP, ETHEL and the totally relentless classic black metal n make up sound of WARLOCK MOON.
Just 5 bux.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

IMAGINARY FRIENDS AND FANTASY BEARDS March 18th-29th


IMAGINARY FRIENDS AND FANTASY BEARDS
ROBERT DAYTON/JEAN-PAUL LANGLOIS
Paul Petro Special Projects Space
962 Queen Street West
Toronto


March 18th-29th
reception Friday March 20th 7-10 PM


"Imaginary Friends" is a collection of paintings that were all done since Jean-Paul Langlois moved from the West Coast to Toronto. In much of his earlier work, Jean-Paul was creating characters and stories to relieve the boredom and loneliness of living alone in a small town on Vancouver Island. With this new collection, he is missing the peace and quiet of his home and its natural surroundings. He reconciles that with the overload of people and the excitement of city life. Elk and deer, his cats and dog, and self-portraits have been common subjects since Jean-Paul arrived in Toronto. He treats them with bright, jarring colours and flattens the space as much as possible-since he can't turn down the noise of the city, at least he can simplify it.

"FANTASY BEARDS" is a continuation of Robert Dayton's recent series of "New Beard Archetypes", a collection of pen and ink portraits of the familiar, bearded faces drawn as masks with blank holes for eyes, they were meant to get the reaction of "I know that guy" even though they were ostensibly of no one in particular, just banal faces.
With "FANTASY BEARDS" Robert moves his portraiture away from the everyday and into beards that he would want to exist though they clearly don't. Not only is the subject matter further expanded but so are the details, design, line, and pattern. He has also been given the freedom to feminize the beards; no longer are they the stuff of men, sexuality is further undefined, broadened, and made lucid to exist in less exacting grey areas.


BIO FOR JEAN-PAUL LANGLOIS:
Kicked out of not one but TWO art colleges on the West Coast, Jean-Paul has been making serious art since his early teens. He has shown extensively in Victoria, Vancouver Island, and taken part in group exhibitions in Vancouver, Washington State, and Toronto. Jean-Paul is probably better known as D.J. P.L.A.N. in Toronto and actively D.J.s various weeklies, monthlies, and one-offs in Toronto,Vancouver and Victoria.
More of his work can be seen at: www.jeanpaullanglois.com

BIO FOR ROBERT DAYTON:
Robert Dayton is a recognizable moustachioed- some say ‘eccentric’-personality of many talents that often converge. As an artist he has exhibited in numerous shows and publications including his own art booklet "Y2K Compatible." He recently did a series of New Beard Archetypes for a group show curated by Jay Isaac at Paul Petro Special Projects and is currently in the "Wish You Were Here" postcard art show curated by Katharine Mulherin. He has regularly contributed drawings, art, features, reviews, obits, and quips to such publications as Hunter and Cook, Roctober, Cinema Sewer, Paper Rodeo, Free Drawings, $2 Comes With Mix Tape, and his own Y2K Compatible art booklet. Robert also contributed to the books “Nog A Dod: Prehistoric Canadian Psychedooolia” (Conundrum), “Lost In The Grooves: Scram’s Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed” (Routledge), , “Cinema Sewer: the Adults Only Guide To History’s Sickest and Sexiest Movies” (Fab Press) as well as the upcoming second Cinema Sewer book. He's recorded numerous albums with various acts such as Canned Hamm, July Fourth Toilet, Hallmark, and Wet Dirt. He's performed plenty of music and comedy with an emphasis on persona work. This former Vancouverite also starred in the Canadian feature film "Male Fantasy."
Robert Dayton recently relocated to Toronto, ON.

You can see more of his art here:
www.robertdaytons.blogspot.com

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

POSTCARD ART SHOW

Folks, I am currently in a group art show that ends March 29th at the Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen St West, open 12-5 daily), 3rd and 4th floors. Curated by Katharine Mulherin, it is entitled "Wish You Were Here: postcards from Toronto." Did I think to scan my postcards before they were hung so that you could see them? No! You'll just have to visit in person! Here's a dirty hippy for you to enjoy in the meantime....

Friday, March 6, 2009

Drawing for Sipreano


My MOODS co-hort (see: MOODS entry for info on MOODS happening on Sunday march 8th!!! at the OSSINGTON, 61 Ossington...) Sipreano owns my creature MONSTER pic (see: MONSTERS entry) due to trading me some amaaaaazing records for it! However, these records were soooo amaaaazing and great and numerous that they more than equalled the trade value! This was no good! So I weighed the scales more evenly by throwing in a specially commissioned drawing. Sip wanted some key George Harrison- All Things Must Pass. It was pretty fun to make as I got to work in the realm of Sepia tone!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

I WILL BE SELLING MY WARES: THURSDAY MARCH 5th


Yes, it's true at OCAD Library in TO on THURSDAY MARCH 5th, I will be selling my art booklets Y2K Compatible (maybe even unveil the brand new issue 3!!!!), as well as the July Fourth Toilet vinyl LP with art booklet, maybe an old 90s Bunyon mag and a Canned Hamm CD or two...and if you can't make it down and are wondering what those things are exactly, well, I'll post a link some other time soon...just bug me...
Funny bunny but this is the second recession themed art event i have been involved within the past month! And the new ish of Y2K Compatible isrecession themed and I need a job, an acting agent, a lit agent, a record label for lush rock album of my band Hallmark, a publisher for 3 book ideas, etc....

Here's what organizer alicia has to say:
"YE SERPENTS

Get your reading material for the upcoming collapse.

There will be zines, prints, small books, drawings, crafts, weird garbage probably, and other things you will want to spend your last dollars on

Don't miss out! One day only!!
EVERYTHING MUST GO

Music by Jesjit Gill and Dylin North
and Snacks by me
so alot of people have been asking me why I am selling all the zines in the zine library?? I'm not actually liquidating anything, I just like the word LIQUIDATION because there's this store called LIQUIDATION WORLD that I like to go to. also I like urgent sales where the signs make it seem like you have to shop in a really big hurry because otherwise people might come and take everything away from you.

So I thought it would be like a good selling tactic to get people to come and buy zines BECAUSE there is going to be a lot of great things for sale.
LIKE, for example, POSTERS, and screenprinted books, original drawings, collages, comics, GOOD ZINES (not to be confused with bad zines) AND i'm going to make SPINACH PIE !!
(that last part was going to be a secret but it's time to get down to business)"

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

MOODS Sunday March 8th THE OSSINGTON




Sipreano and D.J. Body Beautiful spin a boutique mix of :
ELUSIVE DREAMINGS/PRIVATE PRESSINGS/FREE FORMS/CAN CON CONCRETE/B SIDE EXCURSIONS/ELECTRONIC PRIMITIVA/EMOTIONS/EURO HORRORS/INTENSELY PERSONAL VISIONS/DEEP PSYCH/UN-EASY LISTENINGS AND BALLADS/PRISON SOUNDTRACKS/FANTASTIC JOURNEYS OF WONDER/
ORGAN-ISMS/NEO-BAROQUE
With a candlelight night recitation by Robert Dayton, Junior
To Hurting People Since we are struggling with pain, even at this moment, we have first hand knowledge of what it is like to experience the silence of God. Sometimes the immense loneliness of pain-whether physical, mental or emotional-is completely overwhelming! As you listen to us spin, let the music wash over your brokenness as great healing waves of God’s merciful love until you hear the music once again. From our hearts to yours, Sipreano and D.J. Body Beautiful


sipreano bio: christened by the son of thunder, sipreano can rock a party with folk songs. born in the east and raised in the west, he roams our fair country to uncover its little-known sound heritage. he is a curator of sounds, archival materials, and previously undocumented history, as showcased in light in the attic records' six album jamaica-toronto reissue series (wayne mcghie & the sounds of joy, jamaica to toronto, noel ellis, jackie mittoo-wishbone, summer records anthology, and earth roots & water's innocent youths), sixto rodriguez' cold fact and coming from reality, the monks' black monk time, and most recently, canadian composer-arranger doug randle's songs for the new industrial state (CBC, 1970). MOODS will see sipreano reach deep into his oddball crates to project serious atmospherics, vibes, and provide an emotional deep feeling soundtrack to the week's final comedown.


D.J. Body Beautiful is Robert Dayton, a personality of living flesh and blood. Robert regularly contributes illustrations, features, obits, and quips to Roctober, Cinema Sewer, Free Drawings, and $2 Comes With Mix Tape, as well as the books “Lost In The Grooves: Scram’s Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed” and “Nog A Dod: Prehistoric Canadian Psychedooolia.” And as an artist he exhibits fully. Robert is a performer and songwriter with: WET DIRT; melodramatic glitter rock act Hallmark; defunct acid downer folk trio Points Gray; legendary longtime lucidly malleable act July Fourth Toilet; modern song and dance duo Canned Hamm. As an actor Robert Dayton starred in the feature “Male Fantasy” , a shelved Hillshire Farms commercial, and appears in the upcoming “Leslie, My Name Is Evil”. Due to his candour he has been a Master of Ceremonies as himself and as other bizarre personae. As D.J. Body Beautiful he spins at MUSK. But at MOODS he will console you.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Loratadine can be a drag....


Allergies are a wild thing to contend with. Maybe that wasn't what was causing my pure lethargy. It couldn't have been depression because I wanted to do stuff! My ambition was still in existence. Body had oomph, head had nothing. I knew this feeling, it even messed with one of my relationships before I knew that I had allergies! My Mother and my pal Cindy- allergy sufferers both- recommended Loratadine as an allergy cure so I bought some as I figured it would make my day more productive! I downed the pill.
Long story short, I dropped by a library branch with my resume in hand, hungry for work, but so high as a kite that my fly was down and I had no idea! I was wondering around for an hour with baby blue briefs in full view! Looks like I didn't get that job...
And, apparently, these pills take a while to affect the allergies. Anyone want five remaining loratadine pills?

Sunday, March 1, 2009

NEW ISSUE OF ROCTOBER


The new issue of Roctober is out now, this legendary longtime mag is on issue number 46!
I've contributed quite alot of stuff: plenty of comic reviews, Gordy Walker obituary, Kenneth Higney snippet, some illos (including the Stompin' Tom one shown here for the legendary Gary "Pig" Gold' appreciation).
Ish also has tonnes of stuff on trucking music, Flavour Flav interview by the legendary Nardwuar, illos by the legendary Plastic Crimewave, a Soul Train retrospective by the legendary Jake Austen, a JOE E appreciation by the legendary Gregg Turkington and the legendary Brandan Kearney, lots of COMIX, more....
I am honoured to be a regular contributor to this fine mag!
Where can you purchase this? It's tuff in Canada. If ya know of stores that do or want to carry it, or if you want to buy a copy yourself (pretty inexpensive)GO HERE:
www.roctober.com

Speaking of Joe E, this CD reissue is incredible! Go here:
http://www.eabla.com/

I am in love with it!Unfortunately I was working a crap dish-washing job where I the place was bought out and the staff let go! I showed up for work and, not only was there no work, half of my CDs were chucked out- including my JOE E! I sure do miss that CD....