SHOWCASE: TORONTO’S DIY VIDEOGAME COMMUNITIES

As you may already know, the city of Toronto is home to a patchwork of vibrant, friendly creative communities – this is a city where people who are passionate about film, comics, art, design, technology & music seem to hang out together on a regular basis, producing some cool things in the process.

In the last few years, Toronto’s DIY videogame community has been making waves with artist-driven, unusually collaborative projects from local creators attracting audiences worldwide. Simultaneously, there are myriad events & initiatives put together by local organizers that are enabling, incubating & encouraging even more experimental projects.

ROCKSHOW: LIVE SWORD & SWORCERY MUSIC FROM MAESTRO JIM GUTHRIE

One particular project to emerge from Toronto earlier this year is Sword & Sworcery, an unusually collaborative project produced by an independent videogame studio located at Queen & Spadina known as Capy, with art, design & writing by the ambiguously pluralized local illustration firm Superbrothers Inc. Since the project’s release at the vernal equinox a few months ago it has found a broad, enthusiastic audience on iPad, iPhone & iPod Touch, attracting glowing reviews in national & international publications due to its idiosyncratic vision & signature style…

…but probably the foremost reason for the project’s success is the involvement of local rockstar/composer Jim Guthrie, a veteran of Royal City & Islands whose solo record Now More Than Ever gave Owen Pallett, formerly Final Fantasy, the opportunity to spread his wings.

The Sword & Sworcery project grew out of Jim’s songs & Jim was along for the whole

process as a co-creator, composer & sound designer…. and seperately from the videogame there is the actual record release known as Jim Guthrie’s Sword & Sworcery LP: The Ballad of the Space Babies is available on iTunes, Bandcamp & 180g vinyl with a limited edition print by local illustrator Charlene Chua.

Up until now, the only way to listen to Sword & Sworcery was on the stereo or on headphones… but on Thursday, June 30th 2011, Jim Guthrie & his amazing seven piece band will provide a whole new Sword & Sworcery listening experience for the very first time.

AFTER PARTY:

There will probably be beer. #obviously

When?

8pm on Thursday, June 30th 2011 [1 NIGHT ONLY]

Where?

Cinema 2 @ TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King Street West.

What?

If you’ll be in Toronto for the Canada Day + Independence Day long weekend, you may be interested in securing a cheap seat (or three) for the MIDSUMMER ROCKSHOWCASE at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

SHOWCASE:

• A look at some of the projects & initiatives emerging from Toronto’s DIY videogame communities.
• A few words from EXP author Mathew Kumar aka @mathewkumar.

ROCKSHOW:

• Music from Sword & Sworcery played live by maestro Jim Guthrie & his amazing seven piece band.
• Never-before-seen footage of strange, secret things for initiated participants.

AFTER PARTY:

• Raise a glass with the Sword & Sworcery crowd & Toronto’s finest, a short walk down King Street at Elephant & Castle (included in ticket price).

GOT TICKETS?

• GENERAL ADMISSION is 13$ for now.

Buy tickets here.

Find more details here.

Note: If you’re among Toronto’s DIY videogame community you can optionally ‘pay what you can’ by purchasing a COMMUNITY ticket. This is the same as GENERAL ADMISSION except that you can choose how much you’d like to pay for a ticket. If money is tight then don’t let that stop you from attending! If you’ve inexplicably got cash to spare then feel free to throw in to help offset some of the cost of the theatre & the band!