Introducing our newest director...Clive Desmond!

Clive Desmond is a popular director with over 1265 years of experience.  His style, though modern, often tips its hat to the best of the mid-century.  He is the recipient of millions of awards including the Gold Lion, Gold Clios as well as at least 300,000 plaques and statues from London Radio Awards, One Show, Hollywood TV Festival, Romanian Ad Festival, Vermont Festival for Local Radio, Biloxi Live Television Advertising Awards, Hungarian Creativity Awards, TVB, Portuguese Point of Purchase and Poster Festival in addition to many others.  He lived and worked in Gotham City for 5 years under the patronage of McCaffrey McCall, Y & R, No Soap Radio and toiled for clients Mercedes Benz USA, Air Canada, ABC Television and many others.  He produced two audio books for Harper Collins - Thin Ice by The New yorker Magazine curmudgeon illustrator Bruce McCall and The Pinkerton Papers by David Luchuk.  His production employment record includes the amazing and thought provoking Louder Music and Sound Design, the often eccentric Silent Joe, and the legendary house of analogue, Morgan Earl Sounds.  His catalogue of clients include TBWA, Cossette, Leo Burnett, Y & R, Naked Creative, Reason and Partners, DDB, BBDO Sterling Cooper and many more.  He has directed 275,000 celebrity voice-overs none of whom did he befriend or try to sleep with.  Additionally, Mr. Desmond is a composer of light pop music, playing electric bass, piano, guitar and mountain dulcimer.  His voice and likeness are represented by Paul Smith of ETM and he can be heard on hundreds of thousands of commercials!  his hobbies include drapery and window shades.  His stance of the hour is "If you don't think it's beautiful or useful, it shouldn't be in your home or mine."  And finally his new pose at Tattoo Sound + Music are some of his oldest and closest personal friends and peers, without whom he would have never had made it this far or have experienced such plenitude.

It is with great pleasure that we welcome Clive to the TA2 family!

Coming soon to TA2!

The newest addition to the TA2 family starts on May 1st!  Keep your ears open for the details droppin' soon.

Art of Acoustic Diffusers - The Eccentricity of Wood

Recently we completed some renovations at the studio and if you've been by lately you may be wondering "what's with all the wood kicking about on the wall in Studio 1?".

Well, the three attractive panels mounted on the wall actually act as acoustic diffusers.  Designed by Canada's own Olga Oreshyna, the panels are made entirely out of wood with an iregular pattern to scatter the sound waves thoroughly, thus, functioning as diffusers.

Olga's panels are not only acoustically effective for sound absorption they bring a creative and earthy touch to our space.

Come drop by and check them out!

Music for your Mouth - "Lisa Marie" Restaurant, Queen St. West

Photo credit: Jesse Milns

There's a great new restaurant that has recently opened on the west side of town with a rock and roll themed space.

Head on over 638 Queen St. West and get the skinny on how Toronto's getting "All Shook Up"! 

Check out BlogTO's article as well here.

Let us know what you think.

Cure for Jayden - Stem Cell Donation Drive

Little Jayden was recently diagnosed with a disease called MDS which will likely develop into AML Leukaemia. In order to survive, Jayden will need to desperately find a stem cell/bone marrow match in the coming weeks.

There will be two locations for the Toronto Stem Cell/bone marrow Drive:
1) BIALIK HEBREW DAY SCHOOL - 2760 BATHURST STREET, TORONTO
2) AISH THORNHILL COMMUNITY SHUL - 949 CLARK AVENUE WEST, THORNHILL

If you are between the ages of 17-50 you can register. All that is required is a simple cheek swab in order to see if you could be a match. For more information please visit: http://www.cureforjayden.ca/ or follow on twitter @Cureforjayden

We are reaching out to ask for your help. The Stem Cell Donation Drive is this Sunday and as such we are asking everyone to go and get swabbed.

Please share this with your contacts to help find a match for Jayden! 

TA2 April Showcase - Heathers

Last night we were thrilled to host a listening party to showcase an acoustic set from the talented female duo "Heathers".

Siblings Louise and Ellie Macnamara gained international recognition from their debut album Here, Not There released in 2010.  Today marks the landmark of the 2013 album release, Kingdom.  Go to iTunes and check out their single "Forget Me Knots" here.

They had the chance to perform at the pre-Academy Awards event "Oscar Wilde: Honoring the Irish in Film, held at Bad Robot Productions in LA & have secured various music placements in television such as 90210. 

Heathers, hailing from Dublin, Ireland did a kick ass job at the showcase showing off their solid harmonies and tightly woven abstract guitar skills. 

Big shout outs to Sony Music for getting in touch with us!  Everyone had a great time!

If we've peaked your interest they will be playing at the Supermarket this Wednesday evening. 

Stay tuned for an audible treat from the event dropping soon.

Webby Awards 2013 - TA2 Official Honoree!

The Nominees and Honorees of the 17th Annual Webby Awards have been announced today and we're pleased to note that we've been selected as an Official Honoree in the Best Home/Welcome Page category as well as an Official Honoree in the Best Visual Design category!


The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences has acknowledged outstanding entries as Official Honorees,  alongside the Official Nominees.   A total of 11,000 entries were recieved from 50 US states as well as over 60 countries.  The Official Honoree distinction is awarded to the top 15% of all work entered.

Special thanks to Derek Blais for overseeing the creative process and Joel Lee for his exceptional design skills!

For more information on the Official Honorees and Nominees click here.

We're thrilled to be an industry leader alongside the web's best and brightest!

Head on over to www.ta2music.com to see what all the buzz is about.

Mountain Dew - DEWmocracy

Above is the latest and greatest spot that we just wrapped with the talented team at BBDO for Mountain Dew! 

It introduces four new flavours that are coming to Canada but only one will survive.  Consumer votes dictate which one will stay.  Vote for your fav flav and you could win $50, 000 + a part of the prize.
Which one will you choose?  Code Red?  White Out?  Voltage?  Super Nova? 

Head over to dewmocracy.ca to place your vote! 

Producer:  Beatrice Bodough
Art Director:  Craig Brandon
Copywriter:   Johnny Pavacic
Tattoo Sound + Music:  Original Music
Tattoo Sound + Music:  SFX
Audio Director:  Steve Gadsden

Rashers - The Healthy Discount

Working in the east end boasts endless options for tasty lunch spots and niche boutiques. 

Rasher's is a fairly new gourmet bacon sandwich shop just up the street from us and is without a doubt one of our fav spots to hit up.

They recently came up with a very clever digital contest.  Did you ever think you'd see our wonderful city etched out as a pig? Well now you can.  Rasher's is offering a 30% discount off of six varieties of sandwich's (yes, they do offer a vegetarian grilled cheese which is included in the promotion too).  The campaign reaches out to runners and cyclists across the city who can record their progress on a smartphone exercise app.   The challenge you ask?  Run a course through the streets of the city in the form of a pig and receive a discounted sandwich!

To find out more about the promo check out The Toronto Star's full article here.

Head on over to their Facebook page here.  We're sure you're bound to "like"!

Chips Ahoy! Extras - Big City

Last year, Nabisco introduced a new brand of cookies called "Ahoy! Extras".   

This commercial "Big City" showcased a terrified little cookie trying to meander it's way through a busy cityscape.  A woman stops to talk to the cute and soft cookie to realize it has a surprisingly deep baritone voice. He let's her know that although he maybe little, the chocolate chips are full of mouthwatering peanut butter.   

Let us re-introduce you to this adorable spot that we had a blast working on with our friends at DraftFCB.

Proof that good things come in small packages!

Credits:

Agency: DraftFCB 

Producer:  Kelly Cavanaugh 

Art Director: Braeden Laverty 

Copywriter: Santiago Fernandez-Concha 

Audio Director:  Tyson Kuteyi

Mucho Burrito - “La Taqueria Trio” Promotion

Recently we worked on this fun campaign with Douge and Serge for Mucho Burrito. 
The campaign targets 18-49 year olds and showcases a variety of new taco choices; fiery chicken chorizo fiesta, guacagilled pineapple cornita and mango rib tango tacos. 

Tune in to hear the radio we worked on at 102.1 The Edge & CHUM FM!

You can check out the write up in Strategy Magazine here.

Artist & Designer - Mikey Richardson

We're loving these designs by Toronto's own Mikey Richardson!
Head on over to to links below to see more of his fantastic work.  

http://www.amoebacorp.com/home
http://www.blogto.com/artists/mikey_richardson/

JUNOTV: Advice to People who Aspire to Work in the Music Industry

Industry professionals share their advice and experience on getting your foot in the door of an ever changing and competitive industry.

Phosphorescent "Song for Zula"

Music for a blustery Monday afternoon. Keep warm everyone and enjoy!

Mathew E.White

Bringing you "Big Love" on this frosty Thursday afternoon.   Turn your head phones up.  Enjoy!

www.mathewewhite.com
www.spacebombrecords.com
www.home-tapes.com

Nova Scotia Tourism

Recently we worked with Extreme Halifax on the launch of their new 2013 Nova Scotia Tourism campaign. 

It's been a wonderful experience being part of such a great and beautiful project!
 
Check out all the spots and entire marketing campaign here. 

Proud Sponsor of the ADC + ADCC Triple Screening

We're thrilled to be the exclusive audio sponsor for the first ever ADC + ADCC Triple Screening on Monday, March 4th 2013! 

The night will consist of showcasing the best creative, highlighting reels from the ADC Awards, Tomorrow Awards, and ADCC Directions. 

Join us at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema to show your support and further strengthen your brand awareness.

There will be a rockin' after party as well! 

Look forward to seeing all of you there.

Are there Creatures at Tattoo Sound + Music ?!?

If you've been by the studio lately you may have heard some horrifying and strange sounds billowing from upstairs.  

Well, remember back in early December when I wrote about Billy T's involvement in first person shooter game Far Cry 3?!

Source E Creative caught up with Billy T to discuss creating vocalizations for Ubisoft's Far Cry 3.    Check out the full article here.  Special thanks to Source E Creative and Billy T.  It was great working on this article together!

Voted Game of the Year by Gamespot against some stiff competition like Assasin's Creed III, sales have been impressive with over 400, 000 copies sold in just its first month!
Accolades in the gaming community include "Once in a generation experience " EGMNOW.com, "9.5/10" Digital Trends, & "Incredible" IGN.

Above is a game capture that is sure to send shivers up your spine!

Please contact me directly for any further media relations pertaining to this article.

*Update:  A big congratulations to the FAR CRY team and our wonderfully talented Billy T, who won the BAFTA (British Academy for Film & Television Arts) for Best Action Game!  We couldn't be more thrilled and proud.

http://www.bafta.org/

Jarvis Church and the Soul Station

Tune into the radio lately? I'm sure you've heard Jarvis Church's new single "Do It Better". It's getting alot of radio play as of late and press galore.

The album "The Soul Station Vol. 1 - The Songs of Sam Cooke, A Tribute" was mixed at the stu by our lovely Tyson Kuteyi.  Check out all the details and inspiration for the album here.

Check out Soul Station in iTunes for your listening pleasure. 

www.jarvischurch.ca

New Studio Art - Showcasing Peter Andrew Lusztyk

Peter and I had a blast this morning hanging up our newest edition of studio art "Phoenix Highway Exchange". This piece specifically has been getting a lot of great local and international press and has been featured in Episode 8 - Season 2 of "Suits", Esquire Russia, Communication Arts and Audi's US 2013 Brand Catalog to name a few. Check out his kick ass work on his website here as well as the promo video on his landing page that we worked on together. We absolutely love it and it looks fabulous in the space. Thanks so much Peter!

Press:
The Atlantic:
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2012/08/flying-highway-hunter-captures-interchanges-sky/3004/

Esquire Russia:
http://esquire.ru/photo/highways

Fubiz:
http://www.fubiz.net/2011/12/22/peter-andrew-photography/

Fast Company:
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670537/the-surprising-beauty-of-america-s-crumbling-interstate-system#1

Some Awards:
2012 Communication Arts
2012 IPA (whole highway series)
2012 Graphis
2012 PX3 Paris Photo awards

Featured in:
"Suits" (Season 2 - Episode 8)
2013 Audi Brand Catalog

X FACTOR!

What's good Toronto?!
I'll tell you what.  Tyson has recently worked with Producer Jon Lavine out of L.A. to mix the background tracks for 3 of Season 2's finalists! 

Mixes include:
Diamond White - "Hey Soul Sister", "Out Here On My Own" & "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word"

Paige Thomas - "Last Dance" & "Take My Breath Away"

Cece Frey - "Anyway", "All By Myself", "Because of You", "Wind Beneath My Wings", "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me", "Eye of Tiger", & "Because the Night".

Hope you enjoyed the mixes this season.  Until next time! 

Far Cry 3

Billy T has just  finished working on this kick ass first person shooter video game in the studio developed by Ubisoft! 

The game is set on an island between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.   The object of the game is to rescue your kidnapped friends and escape from the island and it's dangerous inhabitants.

The game promises lots of gushes, explosions, gunfire, terror, anguish... You get the point.

Check out Globe and Mail's review here giving it ten out of ten! 

Stay tuned for it's release tomorrow.

To quote Billy T:  
"It was so much fun.  I peed my pants. Thank you Tony Gronick"

Jake Zeldin - Inside Edition Interview

 

Got a call in mid October asking if our studio could be used for piece showcasing Lil' Jaxe (Jake Zeldin) to be aired on Inside Edition.

This 13 year old rapper has been getting alot of press lately with an interview on CTV, performing at the Argo's half-time game this past Sunday, as well as sharing the stage with Reema Major & Waka Flocka on the Triple for Life Tour.

This incredible story depicts how his hard work, dedication and unfailing ability to not let his stutter hold him back has transformed into undeniable success. 

Way to go Jake!   The sky's the limit from here.   It was a pleasure having you at the stu.  Until next time.

Many thanks to the whole team involved, Philippe at G7 Records and Pascal at Lone Wolf Artists!

Music Video Shot at TA2 - Ray Robinson "Trippin"

Michael gave us a shout and asked if he could film some of the music video at the stu for Ray Robinson's "Trippin".  We happily agreed and here's the end result.

Big shout outs to Ray Robinson and Michael P Douglas at Superfly Media. Well done!

Day of the Dead - Dia de los Muertos Showcase Ft. FALLS

*All above photos courtesy of Ryan Joyce/Live music provided by Supersonic Creative.

FALLS completely rocked our studio showcase night last Thursday! They brought explosive energy, enthusiasm and the crowd went wild!   Smoke machine was a nice touch as well. 
They are fabulous and I encourage you to check out their facebook page here.

There was a mariachi band that walked through out the studio, kick ass traditional Mexican fare from Rebozos & Pancho's Bakery who provided decadent Churros, and Ryan Joyce did an fantastic job documenting the night with his camera.   Gira Moin rocked the turntables.  The most talked about props throughout the night were the 8ft + Day of the Dead sculptures!

You can check out all the pictures of the event here on our facebook page.

Again, thank you to everyone who was in integral part of this event! It was a smashing success!

Until next time.