Merry Christmas!

To you and yours, from evertone at SHARP Toronto. Have a safe and happy holidays, no matter what you celebrate!

Cheers!

Rehab For Quitters needs your help!

Jenni and Richie plan to stay in Canada but without being able to work they can not raise the funds for immigration needed to stay here. They are trying to get the cost of immigration which is $3000 CDN in donations, and any money would help greatly. It's definately hard on everyone these days with the economy and such, but this is for a good cause.

The cost for them to live at home in New Jersey would be double the amount it is here in Toronto. Jenni has many work opportunities here and Richie has his band Rehab For Quitters here. Without immigration they can not continue to live here and have these wonderful opportunities. Any help is greatly appreciated.

The couple are also doing odd jobs around Toronto to try and contribute as well, but without work permits it's hard for them to find work and hard to get loans.


Donations can be made at:
www.paypal.com
select make a payment.
SEND payment to jenniandrich@gmail.com

The benefit concert went great they raised $500 so that will help greatly.
The benefit concert went well in Oshawa as well thank you to Black Cat Attack for hosting this event.


They also have a petition going around all over the place so please sign it. There is a link to it below.

www.petitionspot.com/petitions/therefalos

Check out Rehab For Quitters. Straight up rock and roll with an in your face punk edge and a 50's flare.

The New full length album titled "Ladies and Gentlemen...Rehab for Quitters" has been Released North America wide through Boonsdale Records. www.boonsdalerecords.com and will be available in stores shortly.


www.rehabforquitters.com

Celtic Soul Bhoys, Mahones, Over Power, oh my!

There seem to be quite a few good gigs going on in Toronto at the end of December. Here are a choice few that SHARP Toronto recomends checking out.

Celtic Soul Bhoys X-mas Dancecrasher: December 20th 2008. Event starts at 10pm, and goes all night. Cloak & Dagger 394 College St. Toronto. Come party like it's 1969.
Celtic Soul Bhoys spinning the best of Ska, Reggae, Soul, Rocksteady riddims all night long. A good time is had by all when the Celtic Soul Bhoys spin, you don't want to miss this! Free!

Over Power, Night Bringer, Rack Shot and Mature Situations : Saturday December 27th, 2008 at Siesta Nouveaux, 15 Lower Sherbourne. $8 Doors open 7:30pm

Night Bringer (EX-RUINATION, EARTHMOVER)
http://www.myspace.com/keepupthefight
Over Power - Toronto Skins
http://www.myspace.com/overpoweroi
Rack Shot - Dead Boys Worship
http://www.myspace.com/rackshot

And for those of you who can not make the Mahones NYE bash, they are playing in St.Catharines on December 20th for Stumble Records Xmas Bash!...The Mahones, Broadcast Zero & Oscar B. at the Merchant Ale House, 91 St.Paul Street, St.Catharines ON. $10 and the doors open at 9. This will be a +19 show.

The Mahones

For those who don't know, the Mahones are a GTA Irish punk band, that have been around since the 1990's, and SHARP Toronto LOVES them. Check them out at any or all of these shows, show them some love, and buy a cd or a shirt (or the band a pint, Christmas is just around the corner after all).


http://www.myspace.com/themahones


20 Dec 2008 20:00
Merchant Ale House (Stumble Records X-Mas Bash) St. Catharines, Ontario

22 Dec 2008 20:00
Bovine Sex Club (Xmas Bash special appearance) Toronto, Ontario

26 Dec 2008 20:00
Slainte (Boxing Day Party) Hamilton, Ontario

27 Dec 2008 20:00
Atlantic Hotel (The chapterIVclothing Holiday Hangover Bash) Alexandria, Ontario

31 Dec 2008 20:00
Mitzi’s Sister (New Years Eve Bash) Toronto, Ontario

The Pogues in Toronto

UPDATE:

Unforeseen circumstances have caused the two announced Canadian dates to be canceled. The Pogues regret any inconvenience.

from pogues.com



Wednesday March 25th, 2009, the Pogues (and you should be smacked upside the head if you are asking yourself who this band is) will be playing the Kool Haus (132 Queens Quay East) in Toronto! Doors open at 7pm, and tickets are $50. You can get your tickets at Ticketmasters everywhere.

This is a once in a life time chance to see one of the worlds best bands play live in Toronto! Trust me, you DO NOT want to miss this show!

http://www.myspace.com/thepoguesofficial

Red Laces, White laces, Yellow laces! Oh my!

So, what's up with skinheads and laces? Why all the different colours and what do they mean?

A lot has been written into pop culture and the mainstream media about the colour of skinhead laces and what their meanings are. Too much actually.

White Laces : White Pride / White Power
Red Laces : Neo-nazi OR Communist Or Socialist Or Anti-Racist
Yellow Laces : S.H.A.R.P Or Anti-Cop
Green Laces : Homophobic Or Animal Liberation
Purple Laces : Gay Rights
Black Laces : New boots, owner has not bought the proper colour coded laces yet
Grey Laces : Owner has not figured out yet how to keep white laces clean
Suede Laces : Clown Fetish (ok I just made that last one up)

All of the above is total bullshit. Lace colour has NOTHING to do with politics. The only way that the colour of laces in your boots means anything is if you decide they mean something. Red laces could mean you support Manchester United, or even Toronto FC (good on you if you do, let's go catch a game sometime), or your hatred of ketchup. Or they could mean you thought "Hmmm, red laces would look good and stand out against these black boots!"

Anyone trying to tell you that lace colour stands for something is most likely trying to sound like they know something and are trying to impress you, or sell you on a set of politics.

Sometimes a cigar in a dream is just a cigar, and sometimes boot laces are worn to keep your boots on your feet.

White Pride, White Power, White Culture.

Is stupid.

Now I could just end this little blog here like that, and I'm sure there would be people leaving comments saying how I'm right, and a few that might leave a comment like "Why is white power bad but black power good?" and such, so I'll write a little more.

White pride ruins European history. With the number of countries, and cultures in Europe, to forcibly unite them under one big happy banner of "White Pride" and speak of "White Culture" takes away from thousands of years of events. European nations have been at war with each other ever since they got the idea of "mine" in their heads. Peoples have been enslaved and scattered. Ireland, Scotland and Wales (remember Wales? most sadly do not) were, or are under British domination. Germany invaded Poland. France and Spain had a few wars. Italy, back when it was Rome tried to take over everything. Pardon the pun, but to white wash it all like some people seem to be takes away some very important and interesting history.

Culturally, Russia is vastly different than Greece. Both cultures have their own distinct foods, legends, mythologies, music and costumes. France is different from Norway, Ireland is different from Portugal. All of these countries (and a lot more) make up the European cultures.

So when someone speaks about white culture, and how we have to save white culture, which white culture are they talking about? English fish and chips? Scottish bagpipes? Russian Vodka?

"Well Canada is a white country...it was discovered, founded, and settled by white people!" Okay, that's true. Except that the Mnjikaning, Mohawk, Cree, Ojibwe, Neskantaga, Kashechewan and quite a few other First Nation peoples were already here. And there was quite a bit of African slave labour (yes, in Canada too). And the Irish (Who were not considered white at the time) Indentured Servants and Transported Convicts. And all the Asians who came over and helped "settle" the west. That's a lot of very different peoples who helped to create and shape this great nation of ours.

My point is you can have pride in who and what you are, and where you or your family came from, and that is more than fine. I am proud to be Celtic. I have Irish pride. I feel no shame in this, nor should I. But white pride? I might as well feel "Northern Hemisphere Pride", or "Human Pride".

Racial pride, in this day and age, only serves to devide people. If White trailor trash, and Black ghetto trash stood up, and realized that they are basically in the same economic boat, and gave up with calling each other nigger and cracker, they could unite and start working towards getting better health care, better education, higher standards of living, a living pay that actually lets them afford things that they need and want.

This is Canada. You are Canadian. Start acting like it.

Over Power

http://www.myspace.com/overpoweroi
http://www.overpoweroi.blogspot.com/

Check out Toronto's own Over Power, one of the best hardcore/oi bands in town! 4 angry young men who love to drink, and will close any pub you find them in. Boot stomp your way over to their myspace page, watch their videos, add them to your friends list, and send them a nice message telling them to put up some songs, because they are worth it!

100% Toronto SHARP approved!



See ya in the pit!

So you want to join S.H.A.R.P. Toronto

Anyone interested in joining S.H.A.R.P. Toronto should know it's pretty easy. Just contact one of us, hang out a bit, and if we think you are a good fit (aka not a violent psycho, drug dealer or someone who is going to try to convert us all to some odd religion) you are in!

Contacting us is pretty easy. You can find us on Facebook in any S.H.A.R.P. group, you can see us at ska, punk, reggae and oi shows, and find us in the pubs. Or, you can just e-mail TorontoSHARPblogspot *at* gmail.com

Young or old, byrd or boi, black or white, all are welcome. S.H.A.R.P. Toronto is made up of Traditional Skinheads from all backgrounds, and our friends and supporters.

If you do join you get a nifty patch, a pin, some cool friends for life, and the knowledge that you are helping to keep your scene free from ignorant boneheads that will always try to sell you a set of politics, and tell you who you can shag, and who you can be friends with.

So drop us a line, come have a pint, and dance the night away at a show. It beats sitting at home with a bunch of white power fools reading Mein Kampf.

November 11 Rememberance Day.

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month (11:00AM, November 11th) please join the many thousands of Canadians who plan to pause for a moment to commemorate the courage, honor, and sacrifice of the many men and women -- military and civilian -- who have fought and died in service to this country and the ideals it represents the world over.

As Remembrance Day quickly approaches, let us give thanks not only to Canadian soldiers who have died, but also for our veterans and the soldiers of all nations that have died while fighting against tyranny and oppression in the past and present.

This has nothing to do with being pro war. It is a thankless job, and the least we can do is honor those who do it for us.

And just a quick reminder, poppies are to be worn on the left side, over where the heart was traditionally thought to be.

SHARP Toronto Playlist for the week

Skinhead reggae! Oi! Soul! Ska! What more could a skinhead want in a playlist? Here is what some of SHARP Toronto ase listening to this week!


1. The Business - Real Enemy
2. Cock Sparrer - Chip On My Shoulder
3. The Aggrolites - We Came To Score
4. The Jam - The Eton Rifles
5. Judge Dread - Dread Rock
6. The Street Dogs - You Alone
7. The Adjusters - Armstrong
8. The Soul Children - Hearsay
9. Fishbone - Party At Ground Zero
10. Last Resort - Oi Oi Skinhead

The Heatskores 2 Goodbye Shows!

This will be your last chance to see the Heatskores play live! the band is calling it quits after 10 long years of ska/metal/hardcore fun! Come out one last time and send them off proper!

Saturday December 6 @ The Kathedral

Heatskores w/The Legendary Klopeks, The Outbred Inlaws, Single File to Freedom, The Black Faxes!

$10 All AgesDoors @ 7 pm
http://www.myspace.com/legendaryklopeks
http://www.myspace.com/theoutbredinlaws
http://www.myspace.com/singlefiletofreedom
http://www.myspace.com/blackfaxes

Tuesday December 9 @ The Bovine

Heatskores w/The Weirdies (Garage punk ex. Threat and Tijuana Bibles)

FREE19+Doors @ 9
http://www.myspace.com/theweirdies
http://www.myspace.com/theheatskores

See ya in the pit!

Don't Forget To Vote On Tuesday

Listen up Toronto! On October 14th, you'll have the chance to make your voice heard by voting in the Federal Election. It does not matter which party you vote for, just so long as you get out and vote!

If you are worried that you did not get your voter card, that's ok. Just show up at a polling station with your photo ID, and proof of addy.

http://www.liberal.ca/default_e.aspx
http://www.ndp.ca/
http://www.conservative.ca/
http://www.greenparty.ca/

Vote for who you want. Vote for who you like. Vote for the lesser of 2 evils. Hell vote just to block your friends vote, just get out and vote!

See you at the polls!

Agnostic Front w/ Reign Supreme in Toronto Sunday November 16th

On Sunday November 16 @ Kathedral : Agnostic Front, Reign Supreme, and more tba!

7:00pm All-Ages $17.50 advance.

You can find tickets at Ticketmaster, Rotate, Soundscapes, and Horseshoe.

See you in the pit!

Patches and Pins

Patches for Toronto SHARP are on their way. BUT to get one you actually have to be a member of Toronto SHARP. The pins are already ready. They are free to each member of Toronto SHARP, and $1 each for any non member who wants one.

Pics of the patch and pin will be posted soon for all to see.

The Toronto SHARP t-shirts are in the works, as well as a "Support your local SHARP" style shirt.

For those interested, check back soon, we will let you know when they are ready.

Cheers!

Toronto SHARP

The increase in the misrepresentation of skinhead culture and a rise in particularly militant right-wing separatists caused a small core group of long time traditional skinheads, along with current and former S.H.A.R.P. members from the Toronto area and other cities, to discuss reforming the chapter in the GTA. It's birthplace was not a certain time or place, and no single person is its creator, or controller, or president. Instead, it has been born in the hearts of traditional skinheads who live to protect and defend our way of life, and everything it represents, including the freedom for anyone, regardless of race, sex, age, or religion, to enjoy our culture as equals... brothers and sisters alike, as one.

This is the official blog of Toronto SHARP (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice). Here you can find updates on what's going on, concerts, shows, and general information on Toronto SHARP.

Remember, a scene is only as good as the people in it!