Laina Dawes

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live September 7, 2010

Melvins @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, September 1st, 2010

“The best part of the show outside of a really awesome 20-song setlist was watching drummers Coady Willis and Dale Crover play. I’d seen the band in Detroit last year and even though the duo has drummed together for almost four years, Willis seemed more confident on this stop. Crover was still in command, but while they played mostly in tandem and both were decked out in what looked like vintage muumuus castoffs from a Liza Minnelli video shoot circa 1983, you could really see their different playing styles, and there were more individual flourishes evident in their new material than ever before.”

Laina Dawes reviews the September 1st performance by the MELVINS at Toronto`s Opera House. Concert photography by Adam Wills

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live July 20, 2010

Skeletonwitch/ Priestess/ High On Fire @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, July 16, 2010

“By the time High on Fire hit the stage, the venue was thankfully almost at full capacity and despite not yet turning on the stage lights, when the crowd saw frontman Matt Pike stroll out in the darkness, bare chested, snaggle-toothed but still sexy as all hell, the crowd went nuts. While the trio had the least amount of members in comparison to the other bands, their sound was ten times more powerful and dense.”

Laina Dawes reviews the July 16th concert by HIGH ON FIRE, PRIESTESS, SKELETONWITCH at Toronto Ontario’s Opera House venue

Articles, Features, Headline June 28, 2010

The Hellbound Interview: Earl Douglas, Author of Black Rock Volume 1

“The first image in the book is Living Color during the Vivid era backstage at a concert, just goofing around, and I wanted to capture that these were really fun guys, above everything else,” he says. “Not only are these people rock stars, but it’s something they are passionate about, and it clearly shows. Capturing them in their most vulnerable, joyous and with the most rawest emotions they have in their performance, was important.”

Laina Dawes interviews long-time music photographer Earl Douglas about his new book, “Black Rock Volume 1”, a compilation of photographs of some of the most important (and possibly unknown) black rock artists.

Articles, Features, Headline June 18, 2010

Handshake Inc. Films Sequel to Maryland Deathfest: The Movie

As for the content itself, I asked Hall, who prefers the Cinema Verite approach to filmmaking, if he and Cardoso had given the crew specific instructions as to what images they were to capture, he said that he preferred not to. “I just decided to let them film the images that invoked something in them, to focus on what they felt was important to convey to the viewing audience about the performance, he said. “I trust these guys and know that they will come up with something great. How you make a film is just as important as what the film is about…and the way we make movies is to keep it real.”

Laina Dawes recalls her Maryland Deathfest experience as a full-time observer of Handshake Inc’s experience shooting the fest for DVD.

Articles, Features, Headline January 11, 2010

Kuma’s Corner: The best metal burgers in the world

If you go to Chicago, I suggest you check out Kuma’s Corner. Yes, the burger joint encased in a fine English pub atmosphere is quickly becoming a metal institution as almost every reputable metal publication has raved about it. The music is friggin’ dirty, the atmosphere is chillax, and the food is awesome.

Laina Dawes reviews the coolest all-metal hamburger joint in the Midwest US,Chicago’s Kuma’s Corner

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live October 7, 2009

Living Colour @ Lee’s Palace, Toronto ON, October 3, 2009

I was tempted to start this review by simply saying, “This show was fucking awesome,” but it was much more than that. You had four top-notch musicians on that stage, including singer and leather aproned-wearing Corey Glover (whom if you haven’t heard this man sing, and sing so passionately yet so effortlessly, you are sorely missing out on a genius) and I wonder, why aren’t these dudes being recognized? If not in record sales, for their sheer genius? For actually knowing how to put a song together? But in some ways, it is the same sentiment when I heard the new albums from Suffocation, Lord Mantis and Kylesa this year.

Laina Dawes reviews the recent Toronto live performance by NYC outfit Living Colour.

Articles, Features, Headline October 2, 2009

Interview with Metal Film and Music Video Director, Handshake Inc.’s David Hall

The decision to create film and music videos for extreme underground metal bands was not exactly a conscious decision, but something that came to Hall organically. A fascination with the music, artistic innovativeness and raw talent (and the balls to contact and eventually build a professional and personal relationship with Today is the Day’s notoriously difficult frontman, Steve Austin) led Hall and Handshake Inc. co-founder, filmmaker/ photographer David Cardoso, to create a company that in a relatively short time, has made some of the most innovative metal music videos and films the metal industry has seen in years.

Laina Dawes interviews London, ON based filmmaker David Hall about his work with Today is The Day, making metal music videos and their work-in-progress documentary on the Maryland Death Fest.