Virgin Mobile - "Underground"

 

Check out this new spot for Virgin Mobile "Underground" that we just wrapped with our friends at Juniper Park!  It showcases a great up and coming band from Hamilton, ON called Young Rival.  

We think you'll agree that licensing their tune "Authentic" works perfectly for the Virgin brand.

Get the best concert access and seats with Virgin Mobile. "It's better to be a member!" 

Mike's Hard Lemonade - Shandy

 

Newest spot that we worked on with the talented folks over at Extreme Toronto. 

Kick back and enjoy the sunshine with a frosty Mike's Hard Lemonade Shandy!

Michelle Wright Showcase - May 22nd, 2013

What a fantastic evening!  Last night we had the pleasure of having Casablanca Media Publishing come to the studio to do a private showcase with legendary country singer Michelle Wright.   Michelle performed songs from her new album with one of her producers Jason Barry.

Her expressive voice and stripped down acoustic set filled the studio with beautiful harmonies and emotive moments of times gone by.  

A big shout out to Red Brick Songs / Casablanca Media Publishing for making the evening a huge success!

Be sure to check out her new single "Strong" from her new release here.

We wish her all the best at CMT and CBC today.

Kraft Canada - Bull's-Eye BBQ Sauce

Summer is in the air and what better way to kick off the BBQ season than with Bull's-eye BBQ sauce!

Above is the latest and greatest spot that we've worked on for Kraft Canada.   I think you'll agree it will make your taste buds tingle!

Showcasing the Talented Rea Kelly

Toronto boasts some of the most talented visual artists Ontario has to offer.  Now that the weather is getting sunny what better way to spend an evening or afternoon than walking around and seeing the wonderful sights of our lovely city.

That said, one of our talented local artists Rea Kelly has a handful of different exhibits that she is a part of this year and I encourage you to go and see what all the fuss is about. 

Rea's upcoming shows inlcude;  Riverdale Art Walk (June 1,2), Art 2555 (June 8), Sidestreet Gallery (August), Cabbagetown show (Sept), Queen West Art Crawl (Sept 21/22).

She's been working on a lot of great new pieces like the one posted above that I'm sure you'll enjoy! 

International Publication Welcomes Clive Desmond!

I caught up with the international Editorial Manager at Source E Creative and was thrilled when her interest was peaked about our newest addition to the TA2 family, Clive Desmond!  

Check out the article published this morning under the "signings" sections here. 

There's a special photo that accompanies the article that I think you'll find most captivating.

Happy Monday!

What a pair!

 
Presenting the talented and gorgeous Christine Leslie and Lauren Sloan!

Baaacon Fridays!! Thanks Rashers!

Great session today at the studio and a epically "baconated" lunch from http://www.rashers.ca!

Field Trip Music & Arts Festival

Saturday, June 8th kicks off Arts & Crafts 10th year anniversary and to celebrate they've coordinated a stellar lineup of musicians at Fort York and Garrison Common.

Lineup includes A&C featured artists Feist, Bloc Party, Hayden, Timber Timbre, Trust, Ra Ra Riot, Cold Specks, Zeus, Jason Collett, The Darcys, Gold & Youth, and Still Life Still.

Tickets are going fast so head on over to http://fieldtriplife.com for ticket information and other details. 

To celebrate we're giving away a copy of The Darcys 7-inch vinyl "House Built Around Your Voice Edmonton to Purgatory".  Like this post and you'll be entered into a draw to win!  One lucky winner will be selected and announced by end of day June 7th. 

A New Twist on Employee Profiles - Rotoscope Design

 
Last year we gave the front end of our website a groovy new facelift and we were thrilled to get an honourarium for 17th Annual Webby Awards for Best Home/Welcome Page & Best Visual Design - Aesthetic against 11,000 entries internationally!

One of the components of the site we really wanted to revamp was our employee bio section.  We really wanted this section to stand out against the grain and showcase the amazing team we have here at the studio.  So, we brought Sam Chou of Style5 Animation on board to take it to a whole new level.

Sam created a unique and personalized animated gif for each employee profile and we couldn't be happier with the results!

If you haven't viewed these kick ass rotoscopes head on over to our site www.ta2music.com to check them out. 

You will most definitely dig!

Late Afternoon BBQ Foley on the Patio

Making the BBQ as authentic as possible.  This is how we do. No big deal.

Sound & Visuals Collide - Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller

Photo credit:  Markus Tretter 

Lost in the Memory Palace is an installation at the AGO by Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller that runs April 6th - August 18, 2013.  The installation depicts the ambiguous landscape in which we explore the relationship between what we see and what we hear. 

The above photo showcases one of the multiple imaginary situations of the installation 'The 40 Part Motet" where time becomes less active and changes.  Thus, allowing various narratives to blend and engage the viewer through a unique environment.  "The 40 Part Motet" consists of 40 speakers mounted on stands, placed in an oval pattern with amplifiers & playback computer.    The duration of the experience is fourteen minutes long, loops for  eleven minutes and has three minutes of intermission.

I encourage you to go and check out this creative exhibit while it lasts! 
 

To see more from the British Columbia duo and their upcoming installations click on the link below. 

http://www.cardiffmiller.com/artworks/inst/index.html

One of the Best Things Ever - Comic by Maré Odomo

It's always so great when worlds collide because of a musical memory!  Have you ever had a time like this? If so, let us know your story and what concert you were at.

VH1 Save the Music: The Art of the Jam - How to Teach Young Children to Improvise

This is a great read on teaching children how to improvise. Take a moment and let us know what you think of the approach.
http://www.guitarworld.com/vh1-save-music-art-jam-how-teach-young-children-improvise

Mercedes - Benz: E-Class

 

Check out this great new spot we just finished with the lovely folks at BBDO.  

Barnaby, John and Sarah we had a great time working on this with you!

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