Music, Toronto and friendship. An interesting union that can start out in the most innocent of ways and develop into something surreal. Music (under the category of art, which does include works of art i.e., paintings or film or music) in my opinion, it is one of the four major things that help to distinguish any one culture from another. The other three being language, food and clothes . Each country has four very distinct ways of bringing these elements together. They mesh very well in a melting pot of culture especially in the caldron that is Toronto. The fifth largest metropolis in North America, the most populated city in Canada and the Capital of Ontario. This majestic mega city of beats, tweets and style has endeared itself to so many. Every corner has a different budding community where a foreign language can be heard but listen closer and the sound of musical notes is not too far behind. This wonderful climate of notes can bring many different people together as we wonder through the different keys of life. Hence my brother from a different (gone but never forgotten) mother whom traveled from Poland and ended up here, well Rexdale to be exact (Martin Grove and Albion). The music was a shared interest and still is, the back drop was the T-Dot and the outcome, a life long best friend.
Music was not our strong point at first. My interests in high school were heavy into soca, reggae, hip-hop, classic rock and soul. I am pretty sure our only band in common was Limp Bizkit but they were big back in the day. I ventured into the unknown realm of heavy metal with the group Slipknot, whom Kris had taken a liking to at the time as well. Meanwhile, I traded with my West Indian heritage, the likes of Sanchez, Wayne Wonder and Beres Hammond. Reggae crooners who were miles away from the screeching I was being introduced to but nonetheless enjoyed. One of the big reasons I later got into AC/DC was because of my previous encounters with Fred Durst squealing over the mic albeit in more of a rap style. Oh yeah, Insane Clown Posse, they were crazy and had a wrestling angle, which back in high school was my life so by default I listened to their stuff. We debated even back then who was better, Rage Against The Machine or Limp Bizkit? The passion for the subject was real and it help to solidify our understanding for what we help craft today on this very website. All the while being done while the bright lights of Canada’s biggest city blazoned brightly in the background. Whether on the way to a cottage, the LCBO, or Taco Bell, the city always help shape our experience .
Music started out that way for my lovely fiancee and I when we first started dating over eleven years ago. She and I have shared many musical memories in Toronto. Our love started out from friendship and music only help to nurture our blossoming romance. With a little help from Beres Hammond of course. The beauty of it all comes from the truth of the matter. The interconnectedness of these three entities make experiencing them together all the more magical. Whether listening to that pump up song before a ball hockey game with my home boy or cruising with my lady on a long drive in the summer time. The music is the vehicle, friendship is the gasoline and Toronto is the road we all travel.
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