Bidiniband releases “In the Rock Hall” inspired by Paul Quarrington

Dave Bidini, the Canadian rock hero’s Bidiniband is releasing their album In the Rock Hall on January 24 via Pheromone Recordings.

According to a press release, the LP is an “expressive, white-hot rock’n'roll statement” with lyrical concerns that include “pirates, war, dating, travel, the Smurfs, engines, the waterways, and movie-making.”

In the Rock Hall gets its name from a poem by late writer Paul Quarrington, which you can read here on Pau;’s website (http://www.paulquarrington.org/friends/78/moving-stories-in-winnipeg/). See a live version of the title track with Dave Bidini and Porkbelly Futures when they toured across the country in 2010 with the screening tour of “Paul Quarrington Life in Music” >> here … http://youtu.be/22y0Xhpo-3I

Bidiniband will be promoting the album with a smattering of shows in Canada’s eastern half. For the official CD release show on January 28 at Toronto’s Dakota Tavern, they will offer “surprise guests, noisemakers, amp throwing, squirrel-toss, balloon drinking, dart poker and underwear bingo. And, one really good drum solo.”

See the full schedule and the complete article PLUS plus download a track from the release on  Exclaim! Magazine website  … http://exclaim.ca/News/dave_bidinis_bidiniband_preps_in_rock_hall -

Bidiniband Tour dates – lots more on Dave’s website too >> http://davebidini.ca/

1/26 Hamilton, ON – Casbah Lounge
1/27 Toronto, ON - Toronto Reference Library
1/27 St. Catharines, ON – The Merchant Ale House
1/28 Toronto, ON – The Dakota Tavern (release show)
2/7 Halifax, ON – Carleton *
2/9 Charlottetown, PE – Stolen from a Hockey Card Show
2/19 Toronto, ON – Harbourfront Skate Festival

Paul Quarrington Life in Music nominated for Directors Guild Award

The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) has announced its nominees for this year’s awards ceremony, with 76 nominations in 19 categories emerging from close to 175 submissions.

Four projects are up for the Allan King Award for Excellence in Documentary: Bert Kish’s Paul Quarrington Life in Music; Sturla Gunnarsson’s Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie; Mike Downie’s One Ocean: The Birth of an Ocean; and Josh Freed’s Where Did I Put My Memory?

Kish states,  “I grew up with the NFB in Montreal. My father, Albert Kish, was an editor/director there for over 25 years. The NFB’s original mandate was to present Canada to Canadians; when producer Judith Keenan approached me to do the Quarrington film I thought Paul was a Canadian that needed to be presented to Canada because of his unique voice and remarkable talents.   I hope we achieved that with this with the film, and that it helps Paul`s amazingly broad portfolio of creative work – novels, memoirs, journalism, music, film and television -  enjoy the legacy it deserves.”

The DGC Awards take place in Toronto on October 29, 2011 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.  Director Bert Kish will be in attendance.  For more about the film, visit http://bookshorts.com/pq_life_in_music/

Kevin McDonald returns with ultra-short comedy concieved by Quarrington

Comedy sketches come naturally to Kids in the Hall member Kevin McDonald. Writing anything longer than a few minutes does not, he bemoans in his famously high-pitched tone.

“In the past 15 years I’ve pushed myself to learn how to write hour-and-a-half things, like movies, or half-hour things, like pilots for TV shows,” McDonald said in a recent interview from Niagara Falls, Ont., where he shot a film cameo.

“At first they were like long sketches. (Then), each scene was like a sketch. And now I’m (thinking): ‘Oh, maybe this scene doesn’t have to have a horribly funny thing, just a mildly funny, witty thing. Because it adds to the next scene and the story’s important.”‘

It’s fitting then that his return to series television on Monday comes by way of what could be Canada’s shortest show — the four-minute “Papillon.”

McDonald stars in Bite TV’s offbeat farce about an ultra discount airline and its peculiar employees. The frizzy-haired funnyman plays Darius, a nebbish co-pilot with a fear of flying. Other characters include cocky pilot Cal (David Fraser), pragmatic flight attendant Marcia (a cross-dressing Randal Edwards) and the severe — and possibly homicidal — flight attendant Eva (Hannah Cheesman).

The outlandish comedy — in which the frugal airline eliminates frills such as drinks, meals and seatbelts — was created by late author, musician, filmmaker and playwright Paul Quarrington.

McDonald says it was originally envisioned as a 30-minute sitcom but evolved into a short series.

Bite TV — which populates the rest of its joke-heavy lineup with critical faves “Arrested Development,” “Extras,” and “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” — says the “Papillon” shorts will be packaged into 30-minute episodes at the end of August.

McDonald says the Internet has fuelled a renaissance in comedy shorts.

“It’s funny how modern technology advances make you go back. Like, now it’s three-minute pop songs that are the thing,” says McDonald, who co-wrote three of the 15 “Papillon” episodes with partner Paula Blair.

“That’s the way the world is going.”

“Papillon” starts Monday July 11 on Bite TV.

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by Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press

Date: Friday Jul. 8, 2011

Read the complete story at http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Entertainment/20110708/KevinMcDonald-return-small-screen-110708/

Doc Film – Paul Quarrington Life in Music – to air on CBC June 16

The CBC will premiere the documentary film  “Paul Quarrington Life in Music”  on the Documentary channel (aired nationally across Canada) Thursday June 16 at 8:00PM Eastern, with a repeat same night at 12am Eastern / 9pm Pacific.   The film is a cinematic essay of renaissance artist, Paul Quarrington, as he comes to term with his life through the power of creativity.

Check your local listings!

Paul Quarrington Life in Music Doc to screen at NXNE 2011

On Sunday June 19, 2011 , NXNE Film Fest will host a Father’s Day screening of PAUL QUARRINGTON LIFE IN MUSIC at the NFB Mediatheque at 150 John St. in Toronto starting at 2pm.

In 2011, NXNE Film celebrates its 10th year as a unique, boutique gem set alongside the larger NXNE Music festival. Each year, NXNE Film programs over 40 music-themed films from around the world. From indie docs to concert classics, from punk to country to classical, from all over the world – NXNE Film’s programming is never predictable and always fascinating.

For the past decade, NXNE Film has screened World, North American and Canadian Premieres and – just like other film festivals – has hosted many acclaimed film folks, including directors like Don Letts, Guy Maddin, Stewart Copeland, Bruce MacDonald, and more. The Festival also presented Quarrington’s short dramatic film, Pavane, in 2008.

Fans can attend NXNE Film screenings one of four ways:

• with an NXNE Priority Pass
• with an NXNE wristband (5-day or 1-day)
• with an NXNE Film Festival-only wristband
• buy paying single-film admission charge at the door ($10 in nearly all cases)

Visit http://www.nxne.com to buy passes or wristbands.  The 2011 NXNE Festival of Music and Film runs in Toronto June 13 to 19.

REMINDER: if you can’t make it to the Fathers Day screening, buy your very own DVD copy with extra special bonus features – available at http://www.bookshorts.com/pq_life_in_music

Bravo Encore for Paul Quarrington Life in Music

Bravo!’s original series GREAT CANADIAN BIOS showcases the lives of twelve of our nation’s most iconic, accomplished and revered artists, premiering Sunday, January 16 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Bravo!

Kicking off with an insightful portrait of Canadian acting legend Gordon Pinsent, this year’s lineup features new and compelling biographies on Emily Carr, Ryan Larkin and Roy Kiyooka. Ensuring the season is packed full of Canada’s most celebrated cultural icons, Bravo! offers encore presentations profiling the extraordinary lives of Jann Arden, Yousuf Karsh, Des McAnuff, Mordecai Richler, Paul Quarrington, Ian Tyson, Denny Doherty and Glenn Gould, whose GREAT CANADIAN BIOS profile was recently shortlisted for an Academy® Award.

PAUL QUARRINGTON: LIFE IN MUSIC – Encore Presentation
Sunday, March 27 at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT
Saturday, April 2 at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT
PAUL QUARRINGTON: LIFE IN MUSIC is a documentary about an artist whose sudden diagnosis of terminal illness led him to embrace both life and art with a lifetime of creativity packed into all too brief few months. Loaded with intimate moments with Quarrington himself, this documentary features interviews with Quarrington’s family, friends, and members of the internationally renown arts community. The list includes writer Roddy Doyle, musician and writer Dave Bidini, author Wayson Choy, musicians Dan Hill and Joe Hall as well as Paul’s life-long friend and fellow musician Martin Worthy. The documentary also includes dynamic performances from Porkbelly Futures, and a touching performance by Paul’s brothers Joel and Tony Quarrington. PAUL QUARRINGTON: LIFE IN MUSIC is produced by BookShorts Inc. and directed by Bert Kish.

Porkbelly Futures fete Quarrington at Kingston WritersFest

www.movingstories.tv — Porkbelly Futures perform CRAZY RAIN, a song composed by Martin Worthy in memory of his writing partner and life-long friend Paul Quarrington.  This performance was one part of a stellar evening presented by Merilyn Simonds, Artistic Director for Kingston WritersFest called “PQ’s People Mix It Up”, a tribute to Quarrington that included theatrical stagings of his plays and novels, readings from a roster of authors, with musical headliners Porkbelly Futures.

Produced by BookShorts Literacy Program for MovingStories.TV with the collaboration of Kingston WritersFest.  For more news and music inspired by the written word, visit www.MovingStories.TV

WordFest Distinguished Author Series Celebrates Paul Quarrington at The Banff Centre, October 16

The headliner not to miss is the tribute to the late Paul Quarrington – playwright, novelist, screenwriter, filmmaker and musician. The Banff Distinguished Author Series highlights Quarrington’s award-winning career at The Banff Centre (Oct 16) with special guests Jane Urquhart, Hayden Taylor, film/tv producer Judith Keenan, his band the Porkbelly Futures, and more, who remember him through film, word and music.

Quarrington Celebrations Keep the Legacy Alive

Paul Quarrington’s rich portfolio of art, which he worked so diligently to complete, will be wonderfully presented to a host of audiences across the country this fall, following full houses in Orillia (Leacock Summer Festival), Haliburton Forest Festival, and heartfelt recognition at Writers at Woody Point, NL.  The “tour” of Quarrington celebrations will be presented at literary festivals starting in Kingston, then Winnipeg, Banff, Vancouver, the St. John’s Women’s Film Festival and winding up in Windsor. Each presenting festival has crafted their own unique event, including offerings from dramatic theatrical scenes to readings, music, and film clips, as well as full length screenings of Paul Quarrington Life in Music. A national screening of the doc also airs on Bravo September 18.

Bravo! Doc Presents PQ Life in Music – Sep 18 @ 7pm ET – check local listings

Kingston Writers Festival ON – Wed. Sep 22

Thin Air: Winnipeg Writers Festival MB – Sat. Sep 25

WordFest: Banff-Calgary Intl Writers Festival AB – Sat. Oct 16 & Sun. 17

Vancouver International Writers Festival BC – Fri. Oct 22

St. John’s Intl Women’s Film Festival NL – Oct 26-30

BookFest Windsor ON – Fri. Nov 5

Paul Quarrington rocks on!

Paul Quarrington Life in Music DVD now available

We are thrilled and elated to report that Paul’s film is now available on DVD!  And we’ve loaded the disc with a range of special features that ought to delight those who know the man, and titillate those who are just getting to know his work.

Special Features

• MUSIC VIDEOS including CLAIRE by The Rheostatics; HEY, HOLLYWOOD by Paul Quarrington; ARE YOU READY performed by Sharon Riley and Faith Chorale
• SHORT FILMS including the award-winning  PAVANE directed by Paul Quarrington; plus ANGEL TAKES ALL and SEVENTH SEAL REDUX
• INTERVIEWS by MARGARET ATWOOD, PAUL GROSS, JOHN KRIZANC, ALISTAIR MACLEOD, NINO RICCI plus a conversation with Booker Prize winning author RODDY DOYLE
• PHOTO GALLERIES from behind the scenes MAKING LIFE IN MUSIC, intimate PORTRAITS OF AN ARTIST and an exclusive collection illustrating Quarrington’s last book, CIGAR BOX BANJO

The DVD can be ordered through Producer Judith Keenan using PayPal by Email.
Paul Quarrington Life in Music DVD w/ Special Features
$20 CAD plus HST includes shipping within Canada

ABOUT THE FILM >> Paul Quarrington Life in Music

Director Bert Kish has done a masterful job revealing the inner life and work of this renaissance artist – writer, teacher, musician, filmmaker – delivering both humourous and poignant insights into what it takes to live a creative life.

… funny, defiant and moving… – James Reaney, QMI Agency

… A fascinating look at an eclectic artist whose impending death led him to embrace both his life and his art.
 – TV Week

… the artist’s last year of life was his greatest work. - The Globe and Mail

… a fitting send-off tribute to a Canadian great – National Post

… one of our country’s leading artists – Calgary Herald

The DVD will be available at each of the screening events taking place this coming fall – subscribe to the RSS feed for this site for updates!

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