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Music Notes Archives: Toledo goes for gold

Vancouver's Paula Toledo has lined up two shows opening for Neil Young - well, a celluloid Neil. She'll perform half-hour sets February 21 at the Fifth Avenue Cinemas prior to the evening screenings of the new Jonathan Demme-directed concert film of Young, Heart of Gold. Having just released her debut full-length, Stay Awhile, the singer wanted to do some more marketing. Festival Cinemas president Leonard Schein agreed to book Toledo for the Young movie and, from March 16-19, at the Park prior to a film yet to be announced.

Fifth Avenue has also agreed to play and sell Toledo's disc in the lobby for the next week. "I had a lot of people telling me they heard my music in the theatres," she said. "Part of Festival Cinemas' mandate is to play songs that are out of the mainstream - the same with the movies they show." As Toledo notes, the theatre chain's Web site states that "Festival Cinemas is committed to showing films that are out of the mainstream and that reveal qualities of the human spirit." "The people I think would like my music go to those theatres and see those films," she said. Toledo, who also records and tours with the Hermit, can be seen in that Vancouver-based electronica act's video for "Sir Real". She plays a CD release part for Stay Awhile February 25 at the Media Club.