Toronto Pin Up Fashion Store Celebrates 20 Years!

-Repost from Toronto Vintage Society–

DAMZELS have been helping Toronto celebrate our inner Pin Up girl for 20 Years!

The Damzels Themselves!

That is 20 years of designing and procuring women’s clothing for alt/vintage/pin up/rockabilly/repro scene.  Not only has their presence helped to solidify a place for us in Toronto, but they have given back to their alt/cult community time and time again.

Brief History (more info in the interview below)

Damzels in this Dress; designed by Kelly Freeman and Rory Lindo, were a vintage/rock n roll inspired dress label that before opening retail stores in Leslieville and Roncesvalles (popular neighbourhoods in Toronto), sold their dress brand wholesale to boutiques.  Their dresses were sold across Canada, the US, and internationally. The Damzel collections have been shown during Toronto Fashion Week, featured on Fashion Television, Canada’s Next Top Model and even Much Music (Canadian Version of MTV).

Damzels – past and present!

The Vintage Reproduction World Comes to Toronto

The ladies knew that by opening their brick and mortar stores it gave them not only a chance to build their house brand up locally but also bring great clothing, shoes and kitsch brands to Toronto.  Why pay for shipping when you can get brands like Pin Up Girl Clothing, and Trashy Diva right around the corner…while you are at it – pick up some fab shoes, accessories and cheeky gift items all in one shopping trip!!

Girlie and Kitschy greatness!

The accessibility to these unique brands, allows us to live and breathe this unique style daily! Damzels also gives the “curious” (aka those who don’t dress regularly in retro styles) a chance to dress up and add a little sass to their lives.

Some of their amazing (and loyal) clientele!

Damzel Events are always the talk of the town

You would think that running 2 stores and an international online business would keep them too busy to breathe…well Kelly and Rory never cease to amaze with their in-store events that help keep that cult community strong.  Their Back Lot Bonanzas, Beat Caves and Seasonal Extravaganzas give their clients, friends and fans a chance to celebrate what they’ve built on an intimate level.

Everyone should attend a Damzels event at least once in their life!

Fantastic Designers/Owners and all around Cool Ladies

The Damzels let TVS get to know them…and if you have been lucky to meet these great, energetic, generous and often wacky ladies…then you will see why everything they have built is so infectious.  They are are as lovely and unique as the brand and community they have built.

Kelly and Rory!

 

The Toronto Vintage Society sat down with Kelly and Rory to asked them a couple questions about turning 20:

1. How did you meet and how did Damzels get started?

We met in the fashion program at George Brown College Kensington Campus in 1991. We had sewing machines next to each other and shared the same taste in rock n’ roll, vintage clothing and beer! In 1993, we started buying rolls of fabric together and making clothing that we would sell at outdoor festivals, craft fairs…even a Medieval Festival (yes, when we went vintage we went really vintage like 1500’s ) We started building a following of gals that would come out specifically to buy our dresses.  Next thing we knew we were getting orders from local clothing stores so we decided to open our first design studio on Spadina and the birth of Damzels in this Dress in 1994.

2. What did the “scene” look like when Damzels got started?

That was 1994! Grunge, rave, glam, it was all part of the scene at that time.

However, around ‘96 we started Lindy Hop lessons and it became a way of life for us for several years. Our line had always been inspired by the past, and we fell in love with the fashions of the 30’,40’s and 50’s while part of the dance community. We were very fortunate because at that time the originator of swing dance, Frankie Manning, and his dance partner the “Queen of Swing” Norma Miller were regularly apart of Lindy Hop workshops that we attended. It was an incredible and special experience to get the opportunity to learn from the folks that basically invented the dance.

Pretty crazy because at the same time, the bright shabby chic of rave culture was in full force, so it was a fun challenge to try and incorporate our love of vintage into the mid 90’s  mayhem of wide leg pants and soother necklaces.

3. How does vintage inspire what you choose for your stores?

Our passion is being able to bring modernity to vintage styling. We love mixing periods to make something fresh and fun. Ultimately, we’re looking for styles that are going to be flattering on women of all shapes and sizes, and the vintage aesthetic fits the bill. Our brand specializes in dresses because we love the simplicity of being able to put on a single garment, and look great from head to toe effortlessly.

4. What has changed for Damzels over the last 20 years?

We opened our retail shops Doll Factory by Damzels in 2006 and now only produce the Damzels label for our stores instead of selling wholesale to other retailers. This gives us the opportunity to do small, unique runs, really get to know our customer base, and offer something that is exclusive to our locations.

5. What is up next for Damzels?

More dresses, more parties, more rock n’ roll!

This picture of Kelly kinda sums it up!

Party Time!

Join in the 20th Anniversary celebration in-store on Thursday, October 23rd at Damzels East or Damzels West and enjoy 20% off your purchase from 11am to 9pm.  Treats to be served after 6pm.

You can also submit a picture of you wearing Damzels (the older the better) to their Facebook page #Damzels20th

…AND if you were lucky enough to RSVP in time for their Gala Event…then TVS will see you there (P.S. Vintage Inn will be there, so be sure to follow me on Instagram to check out up to date pictures of this fashionable evening).

A Damzels timeline of awesome!

Social Media Tags: #Damzels #Damzels20th #DollFactorybyDamzels #HappyAnniversary

Toronto’s “Rockin” Rockabilly Scene

If you have never visited Toronto then you might not be aware that we have an AMAZING music scene. It is 100% true that you can come and visit our city on ANY Night and find first class live music to listen too. As a Lindy Hopper I’m so spoiled on the live swing music I can dance to almost every night (especially in the summer time). As a Rockabilly fan I’m also equally lucky to have several amazing bands right on my door step and currently a regular monthly rockabilly night as well!

Our next Rockabilly Night-Sept 26th

For my blog post today I want to shed the light on some of the amazing Rockabilly Music right here in Toronto and surrounding cities (some are ones I know well and some are ones I don’t but they are all amazing).

(Note: I’m sure I missed some bands and I do apologize)

Millwinders

I love the Millwinders and have blogged about them before when they played at VIVA this past year. They have this great traditional rockabilly sound that is just fantastic. If you ever get to see them live they are loads of fun (and they are all super nice!) and if you like vintage style then Sarah (the only lady in the band) is your gal. Her vintage style is drool worthy AND she is a Toronto Vintage Society member too.

The Swingin’ Blackjacks

The Swingin’ Blackjacks was the first Rockabilly band I had ever seen live in Toronto and they quickly became a favorite of mine. With their sound being a blend of Rockabilly and Jumpin Blues you can easily dance the night away to them…and I have! Matt and the band always put on a top-notch show and you can usually catch them playing somewhere in the city, several times a month. Very hard-working band.

The Royal Crowns

Once again another favorite band of mine with an outstanding rockabilly sound that will keep the party going all night long. I try not to miss these guys when they are playing as they don’t play a ton of shows and they really are a must see band. Their sound touches on many genres of music-rockabilly, rock and roll, hillbilly jazz, surf, and rhythm and blues to name just a few. Also 2 of the members “Teddy Fury” and “Danny Bartley” have deep musical roots stretching back to the early ’80s, playing in key bands such as The Bop Cats and Shotgun Shack (source). So this band has a strong Rockabilly background.

Tennessee Voodoo Coupe

I think I’m going to become a broken record here in a minute…another favorite band! SEE how lucky Toronto is?? I’m only on band # 4 and I have already gushed so much. Anyways TVC is a band I have danced to and seen live too many times to count. They even performed at VIVA LAST Year and they were so good! TVC is headed up by the very talented and charismatic “Big Rude Jake” who has had a long and successful career in Rockabilly, Jazz, Swing etc. and it shows in his music. This band is always putting on a good show.

Video Note: The dancers in the “dark” in this video are friends in the scene.

Alistair Christl

Self described as the “Reigning Canadian champion of “Hillbilly Bop” – a style that combines the best of Honky tonk, Country Swing, Roots Rockabilly, Jazz and Blues Alistair is another show stopper. I have seen him play the Rockabilly Brunch at the Dominion on Queen many times (as well as many other events) and he always impresses every time. He is super fun to dance too as well.

The Kat Kings

The Kat Kings have this great Bluesy/Rockabilly (Bluesabilly?? lol) sound that is just so sweet to listen too and dance too. They are another hardworking band that perform all over the city and beyond. One of my favorite performances was a couple of years back at the Elvis Tribute night at Hughs Room. Kevin the lead singer was just so perfect to lead this tribute night and I think Elvis would have been proud.

Ginger St. James

I have only seen Ginger play once and it was awhile ago but I plan to change this very soon because she is an outstanding vocalist and great performer. To sum up her style there is a great quote on her website that says: “Raunchy, sassy, bluesy, rockin’ with a good-sized dash of jazz AND country, this is a total delight to the ears of any connoisseur of great music. – Tara Jennings”

Hell Bent Rockers

The Hell Bent Rockers are an awesome band from just outside of Toronto in the city of Hamilton. There sound is high-energy mix of classic rock & roll and authentic 50’s rockabilly. Just the kind of Rockabilly I personally love and have enjoyed every time I have seen them perform. I’m looking forward to seeing them next Friday at the 3030.

Greasemarks

The Greasemarks according to their website describe themselves as “Leaving a trail of stained pillows, broken hearts and busted amps in their wake.The Greasemarks have been doin’ 50’s rockabilly loud, nasty & right since 2007″. I have seen this band a few times and have to say this statement is true 🙂

The Diamond Drapes

Another great band from Hamilton, the Diamond Drapes are a well dressed band with a classic Rockabilly sound. I only recently saw this band perform about a year ago and I was kicking myself for not seeing them sooner, they are so good! I stayed on the dance floor all night long.

Ronnie Hayward

Ronnie has been playing his rockabilly brand of hobo country for years now. Prior to forming his own trio in 1989, he had already played and written songs on several albums and had been a member of Jimmy Roy’s 5 Star Hillbillies, Herald Nix, The Nervous Fellas, The Bughouse Five and countless other rockabilly and roots-based bands. He has released eleven albums of his own, nine of which are on European labels (Source).

Heather Ballentine

I will be honest I had not heard of Heather till I started writing this post, and that is a real shame because she has a beautiful voice and amazing retro style! Her signature sound appeals to country, rockabilly and bluegrass audiences alike. Check her out below, I know I’m a new fan now.

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Extra Music Note: Toronto has also a number of Psychobilly Bands that have a real following as well and are very good if that is your favourite style. Bands like:

The Howling Bullets

Christian D and the Hangovers

Buzz Deluxe

Evil Elvis

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For regular updates on the scene here in Toronto make sure you visit “Toronto Rockabilly” or like the Facebook page “Rockhouse T.O.” AND of course make sure you follow the “Toronto Vintage Society” who is always up to date on all events Rockabilly and beyond in Toronto.

Do you have a favorite band? And it does not have to be in Toronto. I always love hearing about other bands in other cities (that is why I love VIVA for the chance to see new bands). Do Share!

Liz 🙂

My VIVA Las Vegas Vacation-Day 4 and last day (Sunday)

This is the final post on my recent trip to Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend #17. You can see Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday by clicking on the day.

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Sunday is normally the big “Pool Party” day but as I mentioned in one of my earlier posts I was not going to be able to attend Sunday’s party due to wanting to support and dance to a favorite Toronto band “The Millwinders” who were playing at 1:00pm.

But before we could dance till we dropped we needed fuel and that meant Easter Brunch with my friends and my family. I made sure to wear something very Easter like for the day.

Vintage 1940s dress purchased on Etsy. New Saddle Shoes from Etsy. Purse from Dungaree Dolly’s Bags and Purses

At Brunch my mom spoiled my friends and I with TONS of chocolate & candy to keep us fueled I think for the next year. Thanks MOM! Thank goodness I was going to be dancing later lol!

mmmm Easter goodies

Now it’s Millwinders time!

The put on such a good show (as usual), and I was so impressed with the amazing turnout too! Sometimes this time slot can be tricky because so many people want to hit up the pool party but I really felt that people really came out and showed their support this time. Thanks!!

Once the performance was done, we tried to gather as many of the “Canadians” that were at the show for a group picture (Thanks Jerry for the photo).

I think we clean up nicely, if I do say so myself.

Millwinders done…now it’s shopping time! I tend to wait till Sunday to go shopping because I’m not a huge fan of fighting people for space to see items on racks so I wait. Hey if I did not see it, I cannot miss it is my personal theory when shopping at Viva.  I have gotten lucky every year with finding something and this year was no different.

I purchased the following items (with images NOT taken at Viva):

This mint condition late 1940s dress. I was in love with the yellow accents.

Photo Credit: Tai Heng

A Mode Merr skirt. The fabric is vintage, made into a new skirt and the back the button is a heart.

This is my third skirt from Mode Merr, and it will not be my last. I 100% recommend their clothes and the owner is just a doll as well.

Vintage Scarf for my hair. Sorry for the blurry iPhone pic but this is the only image I have of my vintage scarf in action. I love the checkered pattern…a lot.

Now that I spent all my money, we then chilled till it was time for the Jive Contest in the Main Ballroom. I love the Jive Contest because I love dancing and I love seeing all the fantastic skirts whirl around on the dance floor.

Everyone did an amazing job and I had a couple of favorites which I will keep to myself (because they did not get in to the finals) but overall I was uber impressed.

Once we finished it was time to change and get ready for the final evening at Viva..NOOO!!!! I was really excited for this evening though because I was going to get to see not 1 and not 2 but 4 Rockabilly Sun Records legends on the stage at one time. Sonny Burgess, Carl Mann, Hayden Thompson, Narvel Felts.

But before that big number I was treated to a band earlier in the evening that I had never heard of before but boy was I glad I did because they were fantastic! 

Rumble King 

After I calmed down from dancing to such a great band it was time to settle in for the big Sun Records show which ended up being the highlight of my whole weekend. Especially when all of them got up on stage to sing together, which I’m pretty sure I will never see again.

 

And that my friends is a wrap for Viva Las Vegas 17. I hope you enjoyed my posts on the weekend and hopefully I will see you at next years Viva 18.

Dancing on the last night

Liz 🙂

My VIVA Las Vegas Vacation-Day 4 (Saturday)

This is a continuation post on my recent trip to Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend #17. You can see Wednesday, Thursday, Friday by clicking on the day.

Saturday is Car Show day and BIG Car Show musical act day as well. My favorite day!

This year the acts playing at the car show were:

Imelda May (headliner)

 

 

Lloyd Price

 

 

There was also the Rockats who I saw last year and were awesome. Robert Gordon, Los Straitjackets, The Aquasonics Surf Band, and the Trashmen also took the stages at the Car show and I heard were fantastic. So lots of music to be had at the car show this year.

Friends enjoying the car show concert

I was really excited about Imelda and Lloyd and could not wait for when they took the stage. I have seen Imelda in Toronto and she was outstanding live so I was looking forward to seeing her play some of her new music and to a larger super excited crowd. I also LOVE the car show (I always see about 10 cars I want to take home lol) and the shopping that is to be had there as well so Saturday is my favorite day. BUT Sadly though I was still not 100% after getting food poisoning the night before so my favorite day was cut in half. I have limited personal pictures of the car show (I look like death) but a big thank you to my friends for documenting Saturday so I could show you it all here (Thank You–Dean Villafuerte, Stephanie, and Liisa).

The Vintage Cars

 

Shopping (the one and only semi okay picture of me before I hid in the room till Lloyd and part of Imelda) 

 

My friends doing the shopping I wish I was doing with them.

 

Yup that is the right hair flower for you Vanessa 🙂 Gosh I have gorgeous friends!

 

Hair Pomade anyone?

 

By the time the evening rolled around I was in much better shape and felt good enough to put on my vintage 1940s long gown and make myself look somewhat decent. Why? Because….The JIVE ACES were taking the stage in the main Ballroom and I was NOT going to miss this band.

 

 

So Happy! to have colour back in my face again 🙂

 

We then saw Crazy Cavan and the Rhythm Rockers and Gizzelle before jetting off to see another personal favorite band of mine “Jittery Jack with Miss Amy” from Boston! The Toronto Gang LOVES Jittery Jack and so we were out in full force to support their show and we were not disappointed.

 

And that my friends was the end of my Saturday at VIVA 17. Stay tuned for one more post on Sunday, when I was feeling 100% back to my old self!

Other Viva Posts: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday

Liz 🙂

My VIVA Las Vegas Vacation-Day 3

Hello Friends! I hope you had a marvelous weekend, I know I did as it was my birthday on May 4th. It was filled with friends, food, drinks and marvelous time with my husband. I was truly spoiled and want to do it again! But I have to wait another year so now it’s back to normal life, which means back to my blog I go!

The last time we left off I just wrote about Day 1 & 2 of my Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly weekend adventures, so now we are at the Friday of the event….POOL TIME!

Viva used to have just one pool party with bands, vintage swimsuit contests on the Sunday but due to popularity (always a lineup to get in) they have added a party each day of the event. We could not attend the Sunday pool party due to Toronto’s very own “Millwinders” being on right in the middle of the party, so we decided to make Friday our pool day.

The day started out cold, windy and dreary and we were positive that it was going to be a miserable day.

As you can see below there is no sun to be seen.

But then the clouds went away and the sun came out and that is when the party started. Like this lovely couple doing some dancing, how fun!

See happy smiling faces all around.

Side note about my vintage swimsuit. It is a “Ceeb of Miami” and I purchased it at Cabaret here in Toronto. The suit was in mint condition and I was super excited when it fit me like a glove. Next year I hope to enter it into the vintage swimsuit contest.

Men’s Vintage Swimsuit Contest-Winners

   

Photo credit: Monqiue Rondeau’s FB post in Viva Las Vegas 17 Vintage Swimsuit Contest

We ended up spending most of the day by the pool because they had a band, vintage mens swimsuit contest seen above (my vote was for the guy who looked like Clark Kent ) and lots and lots of great vintage looks to check out. You were never bored, not possible. Plus I got to hang with these lovely ladies for the afternoon and that is never a bad thing.

Now if the pool was not your thing you could of gone bowling.

Photo credit: Dean Villafuerte

Or you could of taken a Jive lesson if dancing is something you enjoy.

Photo credit: Dean Villafuerte

But for me and the gang it was pool day.

After we were done at the pool we all scattered to get food and then quickly changed so we could check out another Canadian band called “The Shakedown Combo“, a Rockabilly band/family from Nova Scotia. I have heard then before at the East End Rockabilly Riot right here in Toronto and I loved them a lot so I was looking forward to their show.

Here I am getting ready (only picture of me that night).

Photo credit: Dean Villafuerte

 

Shakedown Combo: Mother sings, father pays guitar and daughter bass….awesome!

 

 

If you get a chance to see this band live..do! They put on quite a show.

 

 

 

Sadly just after this show finished I got dreadfully ill which we later realized was food poisoning and the rest of my evening looked like this…

Absolutely nothing…sigh.

I heard that the evening was amazing though and the band my husband saw at 2am in the ballroom “Pat Capocci and Band” was really good and apparently my kind of sound (of course). So since I did not get to see them I’m going to end this post with a video of them at Viva so we can enjoy them together.

 

How was your Friday at Viva?

Here are my other Viva Posts: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday

Liz 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

My VIVA Las Vegas Vacation-Day 2

Day 2 of VIVA #17 started with getting in line for our wristbands.

Wristbands on and now the party can really begin! And that means off to get dressed to hit up the first event “Sweet Pea’s Hooch & Smooch“.

Sweet Pea’s Hooch & Smooch

I love Sweet Pea’s event on the Thursday because there are always awesome bands and I find it the perfect way to kick off the weekend. This years bands were truly outstanding and I’m pretty sure I danced my feet off! I know my parents got into the dancing mood as you can see below they were dancing up a storm. Oh yes my parents came for their first time ever!

Here I am with my parents and my friend Steph.

Now even though I enjoyed all the bands the one band that stood out for me was “The Royal Rhythmaires“. They actually blew my mind away with their sound. The lead singer has a voice that is truly unique and really really powerful. We ended up buying both of their Cds because we could not leave them at Viva. Good Golly No!

{photo courtesy of Dean Villafuerte}

During this event I was excited to run into friends from Toronto that I knew were going to be there. My friend James and his beautiful girlfriend Kassandra. Aren’t they just the perfect looking Rockabilly couple?

{photo courtesy of Dean Villafuerte}

 

Man oh man after all that dancing I sure am thirsty 🙂

{photo courtesy of Dean Villafuerte}

 

And hungry so we jetted off to the Irish pub next door to the Orleans that has half priced appetizers every day for happy hour. They also have a patio which makes these Canadian happy! Extreme heat, bring it on!

{photo courtesy of Steph}

I do have some gorgeous friends..gorgeous! And then there is me in all my technicolor glory lol

{photo courtesy of Steph}

 

Dinner done now it’s off to get dressed for the evening ahead. I was really excited for the Thursday lineup as it was a dancers dream. Morray Sochat & The Special 20s, Stompy Jones and Kim Lenz & The Jaquars!

Here is the gang all dressed up for Thursday night. We clean up quite nice I must say 🙂

My husband and I enjoying the show.

My necklace is from Luxulite and it’s vintage drink tags from the 1950s. LOVE!

After all the excitement of the ballroom was done for the evening (at least for me), we headed to the casino to lose some money but instead I WON Money!

What a great way to end Day 2 at Viva 🙂

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Did you have a good Thursday at Viva? What were your highlights?

Rest of my Viva Posts: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Liz 🙂

 

 

My VIVA Las Vegas Vacation-Day 1

Since my vacation to warm and sunny Las Vegas for Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly weekend #17 was over several days I thought I would break it down to best serve you my wonderful readers.

So first up Wednesday-April 16th.

We arrived actually late Tuesday night but due to the time change we just wandered blindly/tiredly down the strip till we found $1 beers and hot dogs, ate and went to bed. So no exciting pictures (other then the amazing some what blurry photo below haha) from that night. So that is why Wednesday I really consider our first day in Vegas.

Up first..breakfast, changed and then head over to get our room at the Orleans where Viva was being held.

Since I knew that night was Tiki night with my friends at Frankies Tiki Room I decided to wear my 1950’s vintage Hawaiian Jansen tunic I got on Etsy (Butterfly Vintage) to get in the mood. I kind of look like I’m IN A mood in this picture but I think I’m more tired than anything here 🙂

We made it! Woot Woot!

After everyone arrived we got dressed and hopped in cabs to head over to Frankie’s. But first we got this great picture taken while waiting at the taxi stand.

{Photo Courtesy of Liisa} 

My dress and my friend Vanessa’s dress beside me are “Di Brooks-OuterLimitz” sarongs. I love her designs and actually own a second piece as well (to be shown later).

Now let the Tiki Party begin! This was my very first time at Frankie’s and I was very very excited because I have heard so many awesome things about it.

{Photo courtesy of Dean Villafuerte}

Bright outside…but soooo not bright inside.

{Photo courtesy of Dean Villafuerte}

The Tiki gods await you…in a very dark room! So that you can partake in yummy Tiki drinks 🙂

 {Photo Courtesy of Steph}

The ladies again.

Side Note: I’m sure I will never meet this person again but to the kind women who told us about seats (there are not many) THANK YOU!

{Photo courtesy of Dean Villafuerte}

The lovely Dean with his Dr. No: “Savagely Sophisticated, this spicy delight of scotch, pear nectar and spices will turn any NO into an immediate YES!” hehehe that made me laugh..a lot when I read that.

{Photo Courtesy of Steph}

After we finished with our Tiki drinks we hopped back in the cabs and headed to the strip for some dinner and some shopping.

{Photos courtesy of Dean Villafuerte}

So many pretty colours at the Beach Bash store in the Forum Shops.

Then we headed next door for some more shopping at “Tatyana”

{Photo courtesy of Dean Villafuerte}

Where my husband found the man area 🙂

{Photo courtesy of Dean Villafuerte}

And I bought an awesome flask that in this picture looks as big as my head!

{Photo courtesy of Dean Villafuerte}

After shopping we stopped for a great photo outside of Caesars Palace (my husband is one lucky guy).

{Photo courtesy of Dean Villafuerte}

And then headed to the LINQ for some food.

On our way to the restaurant we passed a cupcake store that had a Cupcake ATM! You put your money in and the cupcake spits out at you. Okay it drops not spit but that was the vision I first had in my head.  Love it!

We finally found our restaurant-The Yard House where my husband proceeded to order the biggest beer I have ever seen. It’s Huge!

The food was really good as well and the prices were excellent for being on the strip, fyi.

{Photo courtesy of Dean Villafuerte}

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And that my friends concludes day 1 of our Las Vegas adventures. If you were in Vegas on the Wednesday for Viva how was your evening?

The rest of my Viva Posts: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Liz 🙂

 

 

 

Dreaming of Viva Las Vegas

In just a few short weeks (like a week and half to be exact) I will be leaving still cold Toronto for the warmth of Las Vegas for the “Viva Rockabilly Weekender“! I’m so excited! I have started my “what to bring list, wear list, bands too see list” etc. etc. etc. and I’m currently in the process of driving my husband nuts with non stop talk of all the fun we are going to have 🙂 I really can’t wait to go.

So in the spirit of the fun that is about to happen, I wanted to share some of the highlights from last years VIVA adventure with you. So grab your viva souvenir glass and let’s go!

My husband and I meeting the head chef at Gordon Ramsey’s English pub on our first day in Vegas.

We are here!

All the gang is together and already the shenanigans have started 🙂

Finally learned how to stroll last year so there I am in the middle of the action.

At the car show, in front of my dream car.

Got to meet one of my favourite vintage ladies “Amanda Lee of The call of the Jitterbugdoll“.

Pool time with my ladies!

Meeting new friends, who we get to see again this year!

Checking out one of our favourite Toronto bands that played-Tennessee Voodoo Coupe.

My husband being silly with this gorgeous ladies hat, that she made herself!

Looking good ladies!

Ultimate photobomb lol!

This is late late night fun on Sunday. I think we have lost it by now lol!

After Viva finished a few friends stayed for a few extra days so we hit up old school Vegas-Fremont St. Here we are doing our best James Bond pose 🙂

Lol you can fill in the blank 🙂

Then we won a million dollars!! I wish :p

Then we thought it was a good idea to weigh ourselves. I contributed 20 lbs to that number lol!

This year we are adding an edition to our group and I’m so excited! My friend Steph is coming too!!

Excited faces looking forward to this year!

Are you going to VIVA? Looking forward to it too? If you see me, please say hi! Would love to meet you 🙂

OH P.S. If you are going and want to see an amazing Toronto band then check out at 1pm on Sunday the “Millwinders” in the Bienville room! You seriously will not be disappointed.

 

Liz

 

Posted with Blogsy

Toronto’s “Rock-A-Billy Shake-Up!” March 14th, 2014

I’m not only an avid Lindy hopper but I”m also a big fan of Rockabilly and I’m very lucky to live in a city that has so many awesome bands not only for swing but also for Rockabilly. This coming Friday a night of live music starts again with it’s “Sweet 16th” installment of the Rock-A-Billy Shake-Up, one night only at the Junction’s – 3030 (3030 Dundas St. West).

This event has been a really fun way to showcase the amazing musical talent we have not only in Toronto in the Rockabilly scene but also Canada and even the US, and it is ALWAYS a great show. I’m also really excited because the Toronto Vintage Society has organized a meetup event to the show and I just love meeting other TVS members.

Now I know that many of you that read my blog are not from Toronto and won’t be able to make it on Friday but I really wanted to share a bit of something I love with you and who knows maybe if you visit Toronto you could catch a show.

The first band playing are “The Hi-Tones” from London, Ontario and I have never personally heard them but from what I have checked out on good old YouTube, their sound is really great.

The event page states that: The group have developed a strong repertoire, including original material and drawing inspiration from artists such as Janis Martin, Wanda Jackson, Brian Setzer, and Tarantino film soundtracks. The Hi-Tones studio singles, “Rocco Perri” and “Long Gone Daddy”, have received strong play on college radio, and the group are gearing up to record a full-length original album in 2014.

The second band is a real personal favorite of mine and should be yours too – “Tennessee Voodoo Coupe“. I LOVE this band and I just love dancing to them as well. Their shows are always so much fun and it was really exciting to have been able to see them perform at “Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend” last year.

The event page states that: TVC’s 4-piece road crew are well-versed in traditional rockabilly, hillbilly, and swing-flavoured sounds, spiked with a punk rock energy. Jump shouter Big Rude Jake is at the wheel, with Steve Good on the doghouse bass, guest picker Johnny Gallagher providing the sizzling leads, and standup drummer Don Dekouchay completing the crew.

Little taste of the band 🙂

Here are a couple of images of VIVA last year at the TVS Show

Image courtesy of Dean Villafuerte

The Toronto gang at the show

Image courtesy of Dean Villafuerte

Me dancing up a storm with my friend Dean

Lastly the event also has superb music in between with DJ Rockin’ Dave Faris  who will be spinning frantic rockabilly and unruly rock ‘n’ roll cuts all night long. Dave is also the original organizer of this event.

So I hope to see you there if you live in Toronto or maybe another time. I will also see if I can get some good photos of the evening to share with you later.

Liz 🙂

Toronto’s first Rockabilly “Bop n Bowl” Weekender Event

Continuation of “What I did this Summer” posts

The next event that I attended this summer was called “Bop n Bowl” and it was a Rockabilly weekender right here in Toronto, this past July.

The first night started at the Press Club with Canada’s favorite wild man “Bloodshot Bill”

Bloodshot Bill (all photos courtesy of Dean Villafuerte)

Thank goodness for my friend Dean and his camera because I only ever saw the top of Bloodshot Bills head during his set.

It was a good crowd for the first night.

My friends were all having a good time..I think lol (there is me in the back in the green accidentally photo bombing the pic)

There are two things I like to do when I go out to a Rockabilly night: 1. Dance 2. Have a drink or two. Clearly I’m at my max.

Day 2

Day 2 had some really great Vintage and Reproduction vendors, rock n roll dance classes and even a on-site barber set up during the day at Lee Palace’s. I did not purchase any dresses (dang budget) but I got a very cute hair piece for VIVA next year, woo hoo!

The Evening consisted of a night of amazing music from three outstanding bands.

First band to play is a personal favorite Toronto band of mine called the “Swingin Blackjacks“.  If you are ever in Toronto I recommend you seeking out one of their shows, you will not be disappointed and if you like to dance they are perfect for dancing.

Next up was another Favorite Toronto Band- “The Millwinders“.

They are really really good (and such a good Rockabilly dance band too) and have performed at  VIVA Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender 2 years ago and have been asked back for 2014 as well. Can’t WAIT to see them perform there.

The only female member of the band “Sarah” is insanely beautiful and super talented. She sings, plays the bass and rocks the best vintage/reproduction fashions I have ever seen. She has some wicked style that I could only hope will one day rub off on me along with one of her many awesome Bakelite bracelets 🙂

After the Millwinders, we were treated to a really cool musician in the form of “Jittery Jack with “Miss Amy“.

The Review of the headerliner….Jittery Jack was OUTSTANDING! OMG…why have I not seen this guy before? Like seriously, what is wrong with me? lol. Go see this man if you can, you will not be disappointed! Such a good show and Miss Amy was really good as well. Totally an amazing way to end the music portion of the event.

For the evening I wore my brand new “Glamour Bunny Sarong Dress” that I had been drooling over for like a year online. I finally was able to purchase it when the new store “Rosie the Rebel” brought it in just for me! Umm not quite but since it fit me like a glove I like to think it was just for me.

Once again here is another “Liz drinking pic” and once again I’m clearly already at my 1 or 2 drink max here 😉

Here are some dancing pictures from the evening. I danced a lot and my poor feet were hurting by the time the evening ended. Always a good sign I think!

Day 3-The Bowling portion of the event

You were probably wondering when I was going to get to the “Bowl” portion of this weekend. Well do not fear it is here but first I will share a picture of the Car Show we had outside of the bowling alley.

Bowling time! This was such a fun way to end the weekend, everyone in our group had such a blast, as you can see below.

Seriously though we had a really good time playing the game and playing it very badly I might add, but I partially blame the bad bowling on the broken lanes. Do you see a problem below? lol

As we got into the game we noticed that some of us had some very good form.

and some of us had no form, like me!

But we cheered everyone on no matter what and I think everyone was a winner, expect maybe me and my husband and that guy further down the lane…

Photo Courtesy of Sue Shadoff

Sadly though all good things must come to an end and we headed home but I am really looking forward to next year and hope that the awesome Alissa (see below) decides to run this event again. Thanks for a good weekend!

Liz 🙂