toronto show + some new amethysts tour dates + sexxxy pic

HEY!

Some patchy Eastern Canadian tour dates for you to mark in your pocket agenda, wall calendar, or personal digital assistant. As you can see, there are a lot of gaps, but they’ll all hopefully be filled soon with more confirmed shows. But I thought it would be good to put these out there as a little preview… (BTW, thanks to everyone who came out to our Ottawa show. It was lots of fun! Pictures here) We’re also hoping to confirm some more westerly dates and will let you know when we do! Note that we are playing THIS THURSDAY AUG 25 in Toronto at the Tranzac.

Aug 25th – TORONTO, ON (Tranzac) (facebook event)
Sept 22nd – MONTREAL, QC (O Patro Vys – Pop Montreal MEGAPHONO Showcase)
Sept 23rd – MONTREAL, QC (Prism Tower – Pop Montreal Loft Party) *
Oct 5th – TORONTO, ON (The Piston) **
Oct 6th – LONDON, ON (APK Live) **
Oct 8th – OTTAWA, ON (Dom Polski SPK – Kelp Fall Classic)
Oct 13th – HAMILTON, ON (Casbah)
Oct 15th – WINDSOR, ON (Phog Lounge)
Oct 20th – FREDERICTON, NB (Capital) ***
Oct 21st – HALIFAX, NS (Company House – Halifax Pop Explosion)

* w/ The Weather Station | ** w/ Pink Moth | *** w/ Library Voices

And here’s one of the new super sexxxy band portraits we recently took with dear friend and incredible artist/photographer Celia Perrin Sidarous for you to print out and tack to your bedroom wall or tape up in your gym locker.

My Sister Carly’s Beautiful Mineral Paintings

My dear sister Carly Waito is a painter based in Toronto. I would like to share some of her work with you.  She’s kind of a blog darling already, so why not jump on the bandwagon? Hey, I knew about her first…

And there’s a distinct possibility that you’ll be seeing a collaboration between her and myself in the coming year.

Lately she’s been painting highly realistic close-ups of tiny mineral specimens that she meticulously collects and photographs. I happen to think that they’re completely amazing. If you like pretty and curious things, you’ll also want to check out her blog.

Fact: Amethyst is Carly’s birthstone.

All paintings are oil on Masonite.

Cave of Giant Crystals

If you’re considering a vacation this winter, why not head down to Naica, Mexico? You can catch some rays, hang out on the beach, and oh, I don’t know, SPEND TIME IN A SUBTERRANEAN CRYSTAL FORTRESS FILLED WITH 36-FOOT-LONG, 50-TON-CRYSTALS.

Giant Crystal Cave

Granted, it’s 900 feet below ground and has a temperature of 50C. Except with the humidity (90%) it’s actually 105C, and even in special cooling suits, you can only hang out for 30 minutes or so.

From the Atlas Obscura:

“Millions of years ago, volcanic activity filled the mountain with anhydrite, a waterless form of gypsum. As magma eventually cooled, the anhydrite began dissolving, enriching cave waters and allowing gigantic crystals to form. Amazingly enough, the size of the crystals has no limit.”

And it’s quite easy to slip and impale yourself on a giant crystal. Luckily, just stepping foot in the enchanted cave is sure to grant you everlasting life. And you’ll need it, because it’s one of the most dangerous places to go spelunking anywhere.

Giant Crystal Cave

For more information on this beautiful and deadly place, check out these links.

Speaking of natural anomalies, A&A will be butting heads with nature, playing an outdoor show on October 17th on the magical Toronto Island of all places. Here’s some more info. I’ll keep you posted about this in the coming days.