Martha and The Muffins are a Canadian band.
Their main hit was “Echo Beach”, in the 80’s.
In 2014, Vogue Magazine pronounced Queen Street West the second hippest street in the world.
Martha and the Muffins were part of the cultural evolution that made Queen St. so awesome.
It was music and all of the arts that flourished. Eventually graffiti & Street Art found its way here. I’m so thrilled to live on this street.
It’s amazing what I find painted on power boxes in the streets of Toronto.
Here’s Martha and the Muffins!
Pics taken by Resa – December 22, 2019
Toronto, Canada
The artist:
Graffiti Lux Art & More 
You live in a remarkable location. Energy, Art, Music, Conversations – thanks for sharing it all with us!
IKR! The street is fab, replete with small interesting restaurants, small Art Galleries galore, Live music venues, vintage shops, crafts people, young designers, massive street art scene, etc. I love it here!
My block alone has a new Art Gallery with artists studios, 3 very cool restaurants(one has new stand up comics a few nights a week) , 2 vintage clothing shops, a Designer resale shop, at least a half dozen vintage/antique furniture/decor shops, a bronze artist’s studio and the street art is massively gorgeous. There is also a lot of art in the alley, but still some tagging. However, the taggers don’t tag the art.
One day, I will join you in your vibrant block. I have placed it on my bucket list!
Good idea!
What fun! Great art/music on a fabulous street. Excellent post, Resa. Excellent.
Thanks, Gi!
It is a great street. As usual, the developers have moved in. The bohemian lifestyle is romanticized for condo buyers. Another decade, the hip will be somewhere else.
You are so fortunate to live on this street ( gasp) in this area that became such a landmark of changes to come. A wonderful post, absolutely!! xo
I love it here, Holly! I’ve been here for 20 years. Sure, things are changing, but in the meantime, culture rules! It is here, with the influence of so many art types, that I came up with the unique art form (or as N calls it obscure) Art Gowns.
Also, I have become driven to draw. Again, I’m doing gowns, primarily, with a tadnish of branching.
I really don’t see why Art Gowns is having such a difficult time getting backing/funding for a show.
Sometimes it seems that even outside the box is still inside. xoxo
I don’t understand that either, they are magnificent and you are so super talented, whose holding back? I think it would be a huge success. Don’t give up ! You are definitely outside the box. xoxo
I will keep trying! I just applied, to apply, for an art grant.
Talk about convoluted.
It’s pals like you that keep me going…. and Gi, and many others here on WP.
WP is good, because unlike the momentary gratification of Instagram, people are interested in more depth, more viewing… what one is doing.
On Instagram, they want to see a new gown every day. It takes 3 – 6 months to make one.
I tried posting some sketches, but it cuts off part of the head and feet.
Anyway, I can barely keep up on WP!
xoxoxo
I know! Gowns aren’t designed and put together overnight. I opened an Instagram account when I discovered someone else was using my email to open an account. I got it straightened out finally but I’m not that excited about it. I hope you get your grant. That would be amazing! xoxo
I love what they’re doing with power boxes these days. What an amazing street!
janet
There’s a painted box on every corner, and I agree that it is amazing. It’s such a great way to help make our cities a little less cement and grey! _Resa
Nice art … but never heard of the band or song … but good song! FYI: Final concert starts in a matter of hours.
Glad you like the song!
Frank, the concert is wonderful. Heading back over!
How cool! Lucky you…
IKR! Heading back to Frank’s!
Woot!
Makes me so smile, and the music, well rocks, of course. But it must be wrong. Why the second hippest street in the world? What could possibly be hipper?
Apparently some street in Tokyo is hipper. xo
You are very fortunate, young Resa. The gift that is graffiti an alien thing in these parts. We were blessed with a Banksy yet the ‘right wing’ killed it…it was worth, I’m told, up to £10 million, now painted over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U39xXHnAYcE.
Sick, and not in the good way!
“The Rise of the Idiots” It’s true!
I am fortunate. I adore street art. It’s immensely fun to go for walks and find new art, and I never get sick of the old pieces.
(Will mail you as soon as the book gets here!!!)
It’s interesting how graffiti evolved. A poor man’s protest, sometimes yob’s words of anger at first. Then the era of making ugly tenements pretty. Then the art form it has become. We travel in France a lot. In this part of the planet the French are by far the most accomplished. So ‘yes’ I agree with you.
I remember the song, but not the name of the band though.
Cool! I’m happy there are some people who did know this song!
(Happy New Yea!)
Hi Resa, what a fantastic creative neighbourhood you live in! Those background newsprint style graphics are unbelievable, they are so realistic. I remember this song and band quite well as I used to play keyboards and when I saw and heard this song I was hooked. Martha Ladly, the keyboard player, reminded me of Kraftwerk with their famous red shirts (Martha also played keyboards with a band called The Associates).
Tyeth! It’s so cool you know this song and band.
Kraftwerk… wow, haven’t heard that name in awhile.
Anyway, I adore the artwork on the box. I think it suits them well, and I love the song, too!
Hi there, it was around the early 80’s that I got my first musical instrument, a Stlyophone. It was basically a keyboard with no keys but instead had a metal plate with keys embossed. There was a wire attached with a metal tipped pen which you pressed onto the plate and it formed a circuit and made a buzzing organ noise. It played one note at a time but I learnt melody from it and grew to love “electronic” music. I later learnt Kraftwerk’s “The Model” and played it as a solo.
Always loved that song. Lucky you get to be in such an exciting and inspirational area for the arts!
I know! I am amazing lucky!
So, here, now, I make Art Gowns out of Trash… fabrics and anything I can figure to recycle, up-cycle, repurpose or reuse. I think it’s a unique art form, but some say obscure.
Yet, is not that art?
Canada have produced some amazing artists for sure, including Arcade Fire
AF are quite good!
Drake is no $louch, albeit a different genre than AF.
Did you like The Tragically Hip?
Really cool, Resa. Martha and the Muffins are great.
Yeah, they sure are fab! This was a very neat find!
I’ll be by later! I’m still in a bit of a holiday swamp, and I’m preparing a bunch of annoying stuff for my accountant!
Annoying stuff for an account does not sound like much fun at all.
It’s not fun at all. However, it must be done……………… It has to be done by the 20 of Jan., so I will have more time after that.
Good luck with all that.
Very cool street you have there. I enjoyed the bit of history and the pics, video on Martha and the Muffins very much. 🙂
It is a very cool tune!
Yeah, the street is still quite cool, but developer rabble have moved in. They are using the appeal of the street to market their 500 sq. ft. condo apts. to the youngest generation that can afford 500 sq. ft. in Toronto.
Sick. Still.
Developers. 😫
Yeah!
Great work, Resa! Thank you for the very interesting information. Its the first time i heared about this group, but it sounds amazing. Hope you had nice festive days. Wish you a successful and blessed New Year! Michael
TY, Michael! I wish you a wonderful New Year, too! xo
Thank you, Resa! Very kind of you! Michael
Awesome Street Art! How cool and inspiring to live in such a vibrant area! Makes me miss Fremantle, a very artsy town I used to live in for some years in Australia. It´s great soulfood to live around other outwardly creative people! Thanks for sharing the inspiration:) xx
I’ve seen some great street art from Australia.
Are you there, now? (I’ll check your blog after this comment)
The fires are crazy!!! I feel very bad for Australia.
xx
Hi Resa, I agree Australia boasts some really cool street art. Thanks for asking lovely – I am in Spain, my current home base, atm. Have done a crazy amount of travel and moving in the last years (or for most of my life really) and taking a little break for grounding atm, and to tell all my cool travel tales:) Was based Down Under for 4,5 years, so I´ve been very sad for beautiful Australia as well these days. Will answer your beautiful comment these days, just wanted to let you know I am safe dear! xxx
Spain is a great place!
Very happy you are safe! xoxo
Where in Spain are you?
Thank you lovely, I appreciate your concern! xoxo I am currently based in Marbella in beautiful Andalusia/ Southern Spain, and yes, it is a gorgeous place. I am half Spanish, so always wanted to live in Southern Spain for a while:)
Martha and the Muffins were actually a big influence on RUSH in the 1980s – they claim to have been fans and changed their musical direction after hearing bands like this. Thanks for posting!
Oh wow! I didn’t know that, but I sure know whoRush are.
About a year ago, Alex Lifeson said the band was done recording and touring.
Thank you for that info, and I’m happy you like the post!!
Oh, I remember that song!!!!!!!!!! What a post!!!!! How fortunate you are amiga… love love love it all! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Yeah… I am super lucky!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Except now I got to go do more work on my taxes. Next 2 weeks are all about paperwork and math.
Yuck!!!!!! Sometime in the future I’ll have to do ours too and I’m so not looking forward to that!!!!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
[sending more hugs to give you courage!]
xoxoxoxoxo
Thanks, … sigh! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
You are lucky to be in such an exciting area. Queen Street will be Resa Street for me.
Aww, that’s so cool! Resa Street. Thank you Sidran!
Great post! What a flashback. Shall have the song Echo Beach in my head all day long now, lol.
LOL! I had it in my head for days! Now, you’ve reminded me, again!
🙂
Very cool street and vicinity, Resa; you must be so spoiled for choice!
Street art, music, art galleries, live performances plus you own creative pursuits; wow, you could never be bored.
xoxoxo