New year and new jams at #FNLROM!On Friday February 3, 2017 we celebrated Afro Fête as part of Black History Month with a jam-packed night of vibrant music, food and activations. The evening featured live entertainment, DJs and special performances in the Museum’s stunning galleries.
The #FNLROM Afro Fête Performances did not disappoint with the likes of Exco Levi & High Priest.Jamaican/Canadian musician Exco Levi paid tribute to the founders of reggae music with a modern twist of poetry and sound. This four-time Juno award winner has performed in multiple tours and reggae festivals around the world.
We also enjoyed Ammoye.Rooted in the reggae music of her native Jamaica, Ammoye effortlessly glided from reggae and dancehall to gospel, soul and R&B. Over the years, Ammoye has been performing at events and festivals around the globe, and has shared the stage with Ziggy Marley, Freddie McGregor, Romain Virgo and Beenie Man.
The Afro Lounge was off the hook!We ordered some West African street eats, grabbed a drink, and played a game of Ludo. Complete with a dressing room in the back, showcasing exclusive pieces from the Chinedesign summer collection inspired by the Museum’s current Art, Honour, and Ridicule: Asafo Flags from Southern Ghana exhibition.
Who Killed Colin Roach? We also explored the interconnections between race, justice and the state in this film by Isaac Julien. Well worth a visit!
See you in the spring!
#FNLROM:
Afro Fête Tickets: $5 for ROM Members, $15 for Adults, and $13 for Students.
#FNLROM is a specially ticketed event for adults 19+.
For information and future tickets, visit rom.on.ca.
The Royal Ontario Museum’s (ROM) Friday Night Live (#FNLROM) series, presented by Ford of Canada, delivers Toronto’s best Friday night destination with the hottest DJs, live performances, food and drink, and an opportunity to experience the Museum like never before. On Friday, November 25, 2016, bring season 10 of #FNLROM to a climax, and enjoy complementary access to the ROM’s spectacular CHIHULY exhibition.
Northside Hip Hop Archive celebrates its first honorary fellows, Toronto’s DJ Ron Nelson, and Hamilton’s Eklipz with special guest, the godfather of hip-hop, from the Bronx, New York, the legendary DJ Kool Herc. Northside DJs also spinning for this incredible night include Toronto’s very own DJ DTS, DJ Romeo and DJ Grumps.
Live Performances
Twin Rains
A Canadian dream pop group from Toronto/Vancouver. The band consists of locals Jay Merrow and Christine Stoesser, whose sound transforms the spaces they play – from thumping dance beats to synth drenched waltzes – pairing soft, ethereal vocals with atmospheric grooves.
Amanda Martinez
A Toronto-based singer/songwriter whose music exultingly blends her unique Mexican and South African roots with flamenco soul.
Other Performances: University of Toronto Faculty of Music featuring – U of T Jazz Stars
DJs: DJ Conor Cutz and DJ Sean Caff
ROM Gallery Activities
Destination – Mars: CBC’s The Nature of Things wants you to explore DESTINATION: MARS. Take a picture with your friends, complete with space inspired props and a chance to touch Mars. Learn more about the race to get humans to Mars, which today is a planet populated only by robots!
#FNLROM Tickets: $5 for ROM Members, $15 for Adults, and $13 for Students. New this season, get 20% off #FNLROM admission for groups of 20 or more! For details, email groupsales@rom.on.ca. #FNLROM is a specially ticketed event for adults 19+.
Social Media
Like: ROM Facebook
Tweet: @ROMToronto
Instagram: romtoronto
Watch: ROM YouTube
Blog: ROMblog
Join the Conversation: #FNLROM
Review:
The last night of #FNLROM for 2016 was bound to be epic. With a line up of guests that stretched past Museum Station at 7 p.m. – we knew that tonight was going to be special.
We were ready to be slayed by the likes of the Godfather of Hip Hop – DJ Kool Herc and the epic DJ Ron Nelson, but who was the mystery guest we wondered? Dancing shoes were on, cute outfits in check and hair styled. Work!
As we grabbed our drink and food tickets from Level One we made sure to sip a quick cocktail and then say a hello to the Chihuly exhibit which will close in 2017. If you have yet to see his work, Dale Chihuly is a pioneer of the studio glass movement and considered to be one o the world’s foremost artists working in glass today. His ornate flowers, chandeliers and scene scapes is worth the price of ROM admission and some.
After our rendezvous with Chihuly we made our way to Level Three and grabbed a gorgeous Double from Young Animal in the Eaton Court and sipped our delish Perroni pints. We shared a giggle or two and shimmied away to the U of T Faculty of Music house jazz crew.
Making our way to Level Two we swooned over Twin Rains the dream pop group who pairs ethereal vocals with atmospheric grooves in Bronfman Hall and then grabbed some Palabok from Tita Flips in the Biodiversity exhibit space. Her Filipino street food never disappoints.
A hot tip, the bars on the higher floors especially in Earth’s Treasures tend to be quiet. Grab your drinks there to get back to the party with your friends faster.
The mystery guest was the first lady of Canadian Hip Hop, Dancehall and Reggae – Michie Mee! She kept things fresh by introducing DJ Kool Herc and reminding us that her appearance was not all abut nostalgia. She has new music coming out soon she reassured the crowd. Like DJ Kool Herc, Michie Mee was personable, took many a photo with her fans and was keen to remind us with her amazing smile why we continue to jump to ‘Jamaican Funk’.
By 9:30 p.m. we were ready for DJ Kool Herc. Drinks in hand, he gave it to us hard by puling some Rob Base from his record crate and Digital Underground to get the crowd moving. Some B-boys took the floor immediately and kept the crowd intrigued of what was to come next. DJ Kool Herc a true pioneer of the Rap movement coming out of the Bronx gave us a memorable night – brimming with dance off’s, laughter and epic tunes we had long forgotten. The crowd was a wonderful mix of young and old. Everyone came together and truly contributed to a wonderful night.
DJ Ron Nelson was also in fine form by bringing his special brand of spinning that was just as tight as when we would see him in our university days. In the early 1980s, Toronto hip-hop was in its infancy, but it took the drive of Ron Nelson, who not only volunteered on the airwaves to introduce rap music to the city via the Fantastic Voyage show on CKLN, but also as a promoter, bringing several acts from New York to Toronto.
The laughter, singing and dancing was the most epic way to end 2016 with friends at FNLROM at the Royal Ontario Museum. What better indication that a great night was had, that when my friends and I left for the evening we had noticed we had lost our voices and felt our whole body was given a proper work out. Epic! Till 2017!
Well into its second week of Friday Night Live, the Royal Ontario Museum brought their ‘Dinonite’ game last night. For some of us, the last time we hung out with our dino ancestor’s was in grade school. It’s never too late to drop in and say ‘Holla’ from the 6.
Hot on the Dino tip we headed for the James and Louise Temerty Galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs on Level 2 to greet the Triceratops.
One of the oldest members of the horned dinosaur family Ceratopsidae, which includes the famous Triceratops, the new dinosaur lived during the Late Cretaceous, 79 million years ago, in what is now the Milk River badlands of southern Alberta. Dinosaurs from this time are poorly understood compared to those from the later rocks of Dinosaur Provincial Park or the Drumheller region.
After our Dino fill it was time to get our party on. With our ROMBUCKS in tow we headed to the ‘Chinese Architecture’ section of the ROM to grab King Catering’s famous Jerk Chicken Tacos, Jerk Chicken Poutine and Southern Bites. The spice was on!
As we ate our yummy eats we took in the featured entertainment, Rambunctious at the Currelly Mainstage. The notorious trumpeter Michael Louis Johnson leads this ragtag band in an all improvised dance party jam featuring grooves from New Orleans to Harlem, Motown to the Balkans, funk to punk and everything in between.
Back Biodiversity on Level 2 we went for Dino cookies care of Curbside Bliss. Curbside Bliss never disappoints when it comes to soothing our sweet tooth. As we nibbled on our treats we popped in for a session at the Spell-a-saurus in the Earth Rangers Studio. Yes, a Prehistoric Spelling Bee! It was heaving! After a go at the traditional spelling bee we headed off to dance off our meals with an uber cool band by the name of Language Arts in Bronfman Hall.
If you need a house jazz break you can be guaranteed to find U of T’s Faculty of Music’s Jazz Program to keep you propped up and perhaps take a spin or two at the different levels at Friday Night Live. It’s not about all big beats and busting a move after all!
As we headed out a shave after 11 p.m. after a full evening of food, culture and music we thought why not bust a move one last time on Level 4 with House DJ – DJ Jason Palma. He is a pioneer of Toronto’s acid jazz scene and was mixing the seemingly un-mixable with a few of my closest new friends.
If you have not yet caught one of the Royal Ontario Museum’s ‘Friday Night Live’s’ – you are missing out. It is clearly the hottest ticket in town even when it’s 1 degree Celsius outside and you are trotting up Bloor Street West in the cutest cocktail dress, heels, your hair polished and make up on point.
Upon approach to the Royal Ontario Museum we were greeted with a line that was wound tight around the city block. People were bundled up and ready to pile in. With a 7 p.m. start people were clearly waiting for a good 30-45 minutes in the cold. They didn’t look bummed in the slightest. All we could see were smiles.
As we entered the space our coats were taken, we were directed to where we could buy ROM drink and food tickets and were given a map of the best exhibitions to take in.
The night’s theme was ‘Light’. A perfect motif as the amount of daily light is slowly starting to diminish due to the season. Perhaps this is about celebrating the light that we do have and reacquainting with it in a different way during the day. In the mean time ‘Light’ shone on us inside the ROM as we started our evening in good measure. The vibe in the space was upbeat, fun, filled with nostalgic tunes from a cool DJ and the scent of hot food.
As we ate some spicy buns, teriyaki and sipped delicious cocktails we watched as the crowd from the outside slowly start to bellow into the ROM. People were in chipper, full of laughter and clearly ready to party. The Fall chill had nothing on us.
As we glided up stairs to see the featured exhibition of Wildlife Photographer of the Year. The space was heaving with people getting lost in the vulnerability, tenderness and raw emotion of the photos. It was a sight to see so many people having deep emotional connections to the photographs.
It seemed every floor we tip toed into had a Nuit Blanche feel. There was always a treasure to be found. Be it musicians playing upbeat tunes, delicacies like haute couture cupcakes, volcanic ice creams, chic hamburgers, specialty drinks and healthier vegetarian options. Check out Fidel Gastro’s and Randy’s Roti – they were a hit! Clearly, next time we don’t eat dinner before we come to Friday Night Live at the ROM. The ROM has curated a night that is for a discerning customer that is sophisticated, well travelled, a foodie and only the best will do.
Like in Alice in Wonderland, we got lost looking for Sergio Hernández Martinez’s ‘Day of the Dead Ofrenda made for the ROM’. But when we did find it we were greeted by ROM staff that were exuberant to tell us all out the exhibit and also invite us to have our glamorous photo taken with the Pixel Stick in the adjacent space from The Museum out of Kitchener.
It was a gobsmacking experience as we revelled in the Ofrenda’s flowers, cut outs, bottles of beer, ornate crucifixes, angels and various sweets and foods left for those returning souls who once appreciated personal moments with these pieces when on earth. At one point we were feeling extremely over stimulated but we shook that off after we paid our respects at Sergio Hernández Martinez’s ‘Day of the Dead Ofrenda’ and then took off for our next adventure.
Musical performances from Countermeasure, Repartee and Common Deer offered us a nice reprieve as we sipped our Peroni’s and chuckled about the past week. What a lovely civilized way to have fun with your friends in the company of gorgeous art, succulent eats and drinks a plenty. We all have to grow up at some point don’t we? Why not do it with the ROM in the heart of the city and then head off for fun and frivolity after 11 p.m.? Lastly, there are two more FNL’s left for the year – get on it!
Thirty Four Flavours 