Found Adventures

Maybe you know Found, a magazine that compiles random notes, scribbles, signs, letters etc. people find on the streets all over North America (and branching out internationally these days). Well, last night they did a show at the Forest, an eclectic and independent art space, supported by a vegan cafe. (Forest is kind of like Cagibi in Montreal, but better and more fun. Or like Ampersand, if we got way dirtier and embraced freeganism)

The Found team is made up of four amiable guys from the States and they put on a pretty entertaining show. Things got started with Brett, the world's youngest sword swallower, who got up on stage and proceeded to hammer a large nail into his nose, stick his tongue in a mousetrap, breathe fire, and swallow real swords of varying lengths and shapes. One sword was all twisty and horrible looking - the worst one to swallow, we were told. Davy and Peter, the brothers who started the project, literally found this kid in a bar in West Virginia not too long ago and invited him to join them as they toured the States and now Europe.

Davy came up on stage next, telling us about how Found magazine got started from his interest in all the strange paper scraps and random things he would find in the schoolyard next to the house he grew up in. He read some of his favourites...funny to do lists, love notes, notes passed between girls at school, a hilarious budget ($30/month=internet, $40/mth=electricty $300/mth=rent, $35/mth=food, $500/mth=alcohol, $600/mth=crack), strange receipts and funny signage.

Peter, the musician, has written songs inspired by the little scraps of people's lives that make up Found Magazine and he performed some of them for us. He's quite a good songwriter and the stories behind the found items are brought to life in his music.

The show finished with Davy's top 10 found items, many of which had me doubled over with laughter. Andy, the DJ, kept the party going with good music and I decided to stay and make some friends. It was a success, they were all really nice and I heard lots of stories about their European tour adventures, favourite finds and life in freakshows (from Brett the sword-swallower, who has lived one of the most interesting lives and is only nineteen.)

And those were my fun adventures at Forest.

oh god, there are drunk opera singers outside my window singing Josh Groban. Kill me now.