Showdown with Jed: Mechanical bull heightens Bluesfest experience
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But that was what Quinn Meeker and Jaden Scott-Lucas lined up to do first thing on Bluesfest's opening night.
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While the couple were initially there to greet friends who work at the saloon and to see headliner Lainey Wilson and the Red Clay Strays, they were quickly drawn to Jed the mechanical bull. With two massive horns and a large saddle, Jed was hard to miss.
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'It's always fun to ride the bull,' Meeker said. 'I've ridden dozens of mechanical bulls. They're so much fun.'
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But it was the first time for Scott-Lucas. She said she had been to the Crazy Horse saloon in Kanata several times, but had never mustered up the courage to ride the bull.
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'It's less crowded at a place like this early on than it is at Crazy Horse,' she said. 'I've always been too scared to get on the bull.'
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Scott-Lucas said the large tent behind Bluesfest's RBC stage made it feel just like the bar in Kanata. The tent was decorated with wooden barrels, loud country music and a Western-themed bar. The couple wore their cowboy hats and boots to stick to the theme for the show.
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Since Crazy Horse opened in 2009, Kyle Louvelle has operated the bull every Wednesday night to provide entertainment for the crowd it brings in. 'There's a lot of excitement (riders) get right away,' he said. 'It's a unique experience.'
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For first-time riders, Louvelle tends to start off slow and ensure they can adapt to the bull's movements before turning it into a real show. The mechanical bull is also surrounded by a soft inflatable cushion, so riders can fall off safely.
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'As the night progresses, if they're really good, I crank (Jed) up and turn it into a real bull,' he said. 'It's nothing but enjoyment for them. All together, it's a brand-new experience.'
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Mike Labreche, one of Crazy Horse's owners, said the Bluesfest set-up provided great exposure for the business, which was back at the event for the second year in a row after a 'phenomenal' run in 2024.
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Japan Forward
a day ago
- Japan Forward
Haru Nemuri Releases New Album 'ekkolaptómenos' — Where Political Rage Meets Pop
Underground Japanese musician Haru Nemuri has become popular in spite of the music industry. With a strong DIY spirit and highly literate lyrics that carry heavy political statements in a country where most music is consciously apolitical, Haru Nemuri (real name Haruna Kimishima) has built a following at home and around the world. A potent blend of punk, Goth, industrial, dark-pop, and riot grrrl, Haru Nemuri's music is driven by rage, which is uncommon in Japan, resulting in a visceral and exciting sound with surprisingly deep production. Seeing Kimishima's small frame bent over with fury as she lets out a blood-curdling scream, her live shows are a mesmerizing spectacle. And yet her anger and frustration have led to love and success, with multiple overseas tours and collabs with Western artists like Jaguar Jonze, Pussy Riot, and Frost Children. Now, Kimishima is back with a brand-new self-produced album, "ekkolaptómenos," released on August 1 on her own label of the same name. The Greek-language title refers to birth, and the songs on the album are hypnotically amniotic, expansively multiversal, subatomic, confrontational, and very angry. "I wanted to try completely self-producing the album myself because I felt my skills had grown in the past few years since my last album [2022's 'Shunka Ryougen']," says Kimishima. "So I decided to go the DIY route. The result is a sound that is totally me." While Kimishima is known for rap and spoken-word sections in her songs, on "ekkolaptómenos" she sings more. The album draws on her electronic music base, with layered production that lets her voice shine through. The result is an album that is dense, rich, and just a little sweet, like a poisoned chocolate fudge cake. Cover artwork for the album "ekkolaptómenos," whose title is a Greek coined word that "signifies both the act of hatching and being hatched simultaneously." "I wanted to have a proper go at singing," she says. "I think it's a much more pop sound — much poppier than I had intended at the start. But when I played it to people, they said it's not pop at all!" The songs' lyrics draw on themes familiar to the doom-scrolling generation: a nihilistic treatise on the difficulties of fitting into society and the modern prison of digital surveillance — a swirling vortex of religion, hardship, and death. And yet, these caustic, carcinogenic sentiments leave a strangely life-affirming and hopeful impression, aided by the catharsis of her music. "Living in society as a human being, it's very difficult to simply exist," explains Kimishima. "The behavior expected of you is extreme. If you were to suddenly start dancing in the middle of Ginza Crossing, people would think you're strange — but shouldn't you be allowed to do that if you want to? I'd like to destroy the frameworks of society, government, and religion, and simply exist in a state of being myself. "If you know the rules, you have the option of breaking them. You really can dance in the middle of Ginza Crossing." This may seem like an overtly anarchistic message. But do we really have to accept the constraints of modern life? Having grown up in Japan, Kimishima points out how first-world society is designed to promote an industrious lifestyle where work is everything. We are workers, consumers, and not free human beings. That's not a new observation, of course, but Kimishima is representative of a generation that feels suffocated by it. "Our cities are designed to promote the rules of society," she says. "There are very few spaces where people can just sit and do nothing. Cities are designed so that you leave your home, go to work, and then go home again. It makes people forget that they have the option of choosing to skip work that day, and they become trapped. "I want to remind people that they always have the option to suddenly take a day off work and go to the beach! This is something that music can do." Kimishima illustrates her feelings of frustration in the song "supernova," inspired by the writings of Galileo Galilei. His groundbreaking scientific discoveries were construed by the Catholic authorities of the 17th century as heresy, only finding true understanding decades or centuries later. Kimishima craves the same understanding, even if it comes too late. "Yes, I'm able to turn my emotional unbalance into music," she says. "But I'd rather be unable to make music if it meant I could live life in comfort instead! When a star explodes, viewed from afar it looks bright and beautiful, but it's still an explosion, and from the perspective of the star it's a destructive event. And that's how I feel." "Supernova" is not the only clash with Catholicism on the album. Though not a religious person, Kimishima attended a Protestant middle school and high school in Japan, where daily church services were part of the syllabus, leaving her with a strong sense of faith and an interest in the heavy hand of religious dogma. Take the new song "indulgentia," a bold track built around a sample of a hypnotic South Indian chant, with lyrics that reflect upon medieval viewpoints on sin that remain part of modern society. In the Middle Ages, the Catholic church sold "indulgences", which essentially meant paying for the absolution of sin and release from purgatory after death. This practice is now seen as a corrupt means of exploitation, but the concept of sin is still very much a part of life. "Sin, criminality, and law are a major part of society, but are the things we consider illegal actually always bad?" questions Kimishima. "The line can be arbitrary. Like, in some countries, abortion is illegal — but why? This completely violates the rights of a pregnant person. It may be illegal, but is it really bad? The punishment doesn't always seem to match the crime, and I feel we need to reckon with that. "People may be arrested for having a dependency on drugs, but couldn't we care for them instead? Sin is an unavoidable element of life for some people, so why should we shun them? I want those people to feel understood." This lack of humanity in everyday life is what drives Haru Nemuri's music. They are eternal problems, yes, but that is also what makes them timely — and why they resonate with so many fans around the world. I first saw Haru Nemuri in 2018 at Moshi Moshi Nippon, a festival in Tokyo that aimed to showcase artists with global appeal. Immediately after that, she played her first overseas show in Taiwan. Since then, she has gone on to frequently tour in North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond, finding sympathetic music lovers who share her worldview wherever she goes. "Japanese audiences don't necessarily respond when I talk about being an anarchist or a feminist, but when I say that overseas, the audiences erupt in cheers! In Japan, the common belief is that it's safer not to talk about politics. But during the recent mayoral election in New York, some of my favourite New York-based musicians were posting every day on Instagram telling people who to vote for." Her dense lyrics are filled with meaning, but they are written mostly in Japanese. How do audiences get beyond the language barrier to understand their meaning? "Sometimes fans tell me they are learning Japanese just so they can understand my lyrics — but my lyrics are not really great material for beginners!" she laughs, as her manager points out that even native Japanese speakers may struggle to penetrate them. "Even if people can't understand the lyrics in detail, I think they can understand the emotion," says Kimishima. "When I play overseas, I try to explain in English the message I want people to take away between songs. I want to make sure everyone is on the same page before I start screaming. But music is the common language." Despite so many of her songs carrying dark and nihilistic messages, on stage, Kimishima is almost quite cheerful and seems grateful to her audience, acknowledging how music has allowed her to find her tribe. "I feel alive on stage," she says. "I usually detest my body — I wish I had endless stamina and didn't get tired so easily. I'm small, and people look down on me, which I hate. I get exhausted from overthinking, and I wish I was invincible. "But when I'm on stage, I can forget all that. I'm filled with adrenaline, and I don't think about feeling tired or in pain, and I can do all the things I want to do. That's when I feel invincible." Still, that feeling of helplessness is part of what defines Kimishima and her music as Haru Nemuri. I ask her what cuts through the pain to give her hope, and she pauses for a long beat. "Hope... To be honest, it's tough," she eventually replies. "With the recent rise of populism and nationalism [around the world], things have gotten pretty bad ... I had a good education, and it would never occur to me to do something deliberately to hurt another person. "I wish everyone could be happy. But looking at reality today, it seems like I'm in the minority. The majority of people are afraid of others who look different from their group. I don't know why. Every day it seems strange to me. Why can't people get along with their neighbors? "When I meet like-minded people who want to fight and protest these things, that's what gives me hope. We have to create an environment where we can be happy. For the right to simply exist, we must be prepared to fight." Haru Nemuri's album "ekkolaptómenos" is out on August 1. She will perform at the Shindaita Fever in Tokyo on August 8, followed by a nine-date North American tour from September 12. Her Japan tour resumes on October 7 through the end of November. For further information, visit her website. Interview by Daniel Robson Read Daniel's artist interviews and his series Gamer's World on JAPAN Forward, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) .
3 days ago
How an anti-porn lobby on payment processors censored thousands of video games
Video game developers are speaking out after two popular PC games stores made it harder — even impossible — to purchase thousands of games and other digital artworks, as a result of pressure exerted by an Australian anti-porn advocacy group. The takedown came after Collective Shout successfully lobbied payment networks and processors to stop facilitating financial transactions from storefronts Steam and until games with certain content were removed. But developers say the range of affected works goes well beyond games with explicit sex scenes. Also caught in the sweep are a teen-rated romantic comedy game (new window) , some LGBT-themed games by award-winning developer Robert Yang, and a 1920s alternate-history art book that has no sexual content (new window) . This is incredibly worrying, said Adrienne Bazir, a Toronto-based game developer and artist who makes LGBT games. Even just queer people holding hands is seen as not safe for work. CBC spoke to over a dozen Canadian games developers, creators and industry watchers who say the situation highlights the power held by international financial institutions in determining what kinds of art is deemed acceptable for others to consume, and frequently forces LGBT content and narrative into the darkness. What's happened so far? In July, Collective Shout published an open letter (new window) saying Steam and Itch hosted games with rape, incest and child sexual abuse content. About a week later, Steam removed hundreds of games with adult or sexual content from sale. Steam, the world's largest storefront and management platform for PC games with a reported 132 million active monthly users, said in a statement that certain games on Steam may violate the rules and standards set forth by our payment processors and their related card networks and banks. It has the effect of shrinking the space available for diverse sexual expression. Jean Ketterling, University of Saskatchewan Payment processors include credit card companies like Visa and MasterCard, and other companies that can facilitate purchases like PayPal and Stripe. Those games were removed from sale to ensure customers could purchase other titles and game content, the statement added. On July 28, Itch, a relatively smaller player, deindexed all games and other works on its site with the NSFW (not safe for work) tag. That means you can't find those works on the site unless you know the exact name of the creator or game. According to Game File reporter Nicole Carpenter, searching the NSFW tag on Itch before July 28 brought 7,167 results. Today, it surfaces five or fewer. Enlarge image (new window) Video game developers are speaking out against Visa, MasterCard and other payment companies for blocking the sale of certain adult content on gaming stores Steam and Photo: Maxim Zmeyev Itch's creator Leaf Corcoran said (new window) the site's staff is conducting a comprehensive audit of content to ensure we can meet the requirements of our payment processors. He later said (new window) Itch is seeking other payment processors that are willing to work with platforms hosting adult content. CBC reached out to several payment processors for comment. In a statement, Stripe said, We do not support adult content, while PayPal replied that it will take action on anything that violates the law, our policies, or the policies of our partner banks and card networks. Risky business? Collective Shout is an advocacy group that describes itself as a movement against the objectification of women and the sexualization of girls. Its director, Melinda Tankard Reist, told CBC that her group reached out to payment processors after receiving no reply to about 3,000 emails sent to the Valve Corporation, which owns Steam. Tankard Reist said the group was not seeking to have Itch deindex all its NSFW gaming content. However, developers, artists and other supporters say the campaign has affected works with sexual content that don't cross the line into abusive or illegal behaviour. Enlarge image (new window) Jean Ketterling is an assistant professor in political studies at the University of Saskatchewan's women's and gender studies program. Photo: Submitted by Jean Ketterling That statement doesn't ring true for Jean Ketterling, a University of Saskatchewan assistant professor who specializes in the study of sex and video games. This is a tried-and-true playbook. It has the effect of shrinking the space available for diverse sexual expression, she said. Ketterling pointed to a long history of anti-porn or anti-sex work organizations campaigning against content they deem to be obscene, immoral or illegal. Similar recent cases involved lobbyists targeting payment processors for OnlyFans and Pornhub. WATCH | When pressure from banks almost led to OnlyFans banning sexual content: We're seeing a lot of LGBTQ content come up. We're seeing a lot of stuff that's not even pornographic, but that is just exploring sexual violence or exploring the trans experience, she said. Val Webber, a postdoctoral researcher at the Sexual Health and Gender Research Lab (SHAG) at Halifax's Dalhousie University, says high-risk categories for payment processors typically include items with a potential for fraud or that contain potentially illegal content — such as adult content, firearms, gambling and some medications. But the processors' terms of service aren't always clear, leading to a wide interpretation of what kinds of content can be considered high-risk, she said. They're effectively in charge of creating de facto obscenity law without ever naming specific sexual acts or fantasies or content that is, in fact, not allowed on the platforms, she said. Several Canadian developers and artists are frustrated that an Australian lobby group and U.S.-based payment processors have impacted their income. What we have is a situation where American financial institutions are able to do de facto censorship on a global scale against content that isn't illegal, said Ash Krieder, an independent romance writer based in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., whose works were deindexed from Itch. This is hampering freedom of speech in our country. Enlarge image (new window) An image by Vancouver-based artist Aurahack. She says her profile was delisted from Itch search following pressure from payment processors. CBC has agreed not to print Aurahack's real name for reasons of safety. Photo: Aurahack Tankard Reist said location is irrelevant. The internet has no borders. Women and girls everywhere are impacted by male violence against women and misogyny in general which we believed these games perpetuated. The counter-campaign Affected developers and their supporters have started phone campaigns and petitions to pressure payment processors to reverse their actions. One site lists several email addresses and phone numbers for people to lodge their complaints with Visa, MasterCard and other payment companies. "What we know about Collective Shout is that they managed to put pressure on those payments processors with only 1,000 calls (new window) or emails," said Bazir. And we're like, well, there's more than 1,000 of us, so we can beat that.
Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Judge dismisses lawsuit filed by Alec Baldwin for malicious prosecution in fatal 'Rust' set shooting
Published Jul 30, 2025 • 2 minute read This handout image courtesy of Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office released April 25, 2022 and part of the investigative files, shows actor Alec Baldwin being processed after the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M., Oct. 21, 2022. Photo by Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office / AFP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. SANTA FE, N.M. — A New Mexico judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by actor Alec Baldwin for malicious prosecution and civil rights violations in the 2021 fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie 'Rust.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The judge in a ruling made public Wednesday dismissed the case without prejudice for lack of any significant action with the claim, which was filed in state district court earlier this year. Baldwin's attorneys will have 30 days to file a motion seeking reinstatement. Luke Nikas, Baldwin's lead attorney, told The Associated Press in an email that the dismissal amounted to a nonevent since his team has been waiting to prosecute the case. 'We have been in good-faith settlement discussions with the parties to the lawsuit and will be refiling promptly if those discussions are not promptly and favourably resolved,' he said. Defendants include special prosecutor Kari Morrissey and Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, along with three investigators from the Santa Fe County sheriff's office and the county board of commissioners. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A charge of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin was dismissed at trial last year on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defence. The trial was upended by revelations that ammunition was brought into the Santa Fe County sheriff's office months earlier by a man who said it could be related to the killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The allegations in Baldwin's tort claim include defamation, with his attorneys saying that prosecutors and investigators targeted the actor and coproducer for professional or political gain. Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during a rehearsal for the movie 'Rust' in October 2021 at a film-set ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when it discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired. The actor recently spoke to The Associated Press at San Diego's Comic-Con International, saying he couldn't believe what happened that day in court as the trial came to an abrupt end and that his life over the last year has been far better than the few years that preceded it. Still, Baldwin and other producers of 'Rust' are being sued in New Mexico state court by the parents and younger sister of Hutchins. Court records show a deposition for Baldwin in that case was put off in May and has yet to be rescheduled. Read More MLB Celebrity Wrestling Canada Toronto & GTA
