Welcome to a new weekly feature here at blogTO, a comprehensive list of the what's happening in the GTA in the realm of live music. You'll see who's playing where this week, upcoming shows you should keep your eye on, and what's just been announced, complete with links to artist/venue websites.
Keep on reading to find out what that picture of Radiohead is all about.
When released their debut EP breaker/breaker last summer they got a nice little surprise in their inbox - a fan letter from former Boys Brigade frontman turned Grammy-winning producer . It wasn't long before Burn extended an offer to the band to come down and spend a week recording at his Colonial mansion in the Catskills. Shortwave's answer: "Hell yes!"
Good news, bad news in the mailbox this afternoon. Good news: Richard Underhill sent me a copy of Kensington Suite; Bad News: he sent a postcard telling me the Shuffle Demons show scheduled for January 20th that I had back in December has been cancelled.
According to , Torontonians will have to wait until June 2nd to see the streetniks again. Fortunately, this show's going to be free!
No official word yet on what to do if you already have tickets, but I imagine the good folks over at will be able to tell you how to get a refund.
Last week Toronto math-rockers Al Mousseau, Jon Fedorsen and Michael Kolk of the band were each served with a cease and desist. I'll give you one guess as to why. While the letter came as no surprise to the band, who had been anticipating a heavy-handed move by the power company for some time, the real shocker was that the letter was so...nice?
Saturday morning - 10 AM to be precise. Most musicians seem genuinely surprised to discover there's a ten o'clock in the morning as well, but Canadian indie-rock icon has chosen this moment to invite me into his Kensington loft so I can pick up a copy of his soon-to-be-released album, .
When Ron invites me in, I have to step over a miniature plastic tea service. It belongs to his young daughter, Ruby B., to whom the new album is dedicated. Luckily enough, I meet her during my brief stay. Pint-sized and adorable, it's obvious who takes centre stage in this ensemble. As only a child truly can be, she's vibrance personafied, and I soon realize why this musician's household is up so early; ain't nobody sleeping late here anymore.
I last week. In what might have been best This is Not a Reading Series ever, Owen Pallett, Laura Barrett and Steve Kado each performed covers of Celine Dion songs to celebrate .
There were a few video cameras in the audience and finally I found someone posted a video of Owen Pallett's performance to YouTube. Check it out here:
The video can also be found .
Contributed by
What's all the noise about Hailing from the depths of the windy city, this Chi-town Sister is creating tons of hype for herself and her posse of peeps. I stopped by her Friday night gig at newly opened Wrongbar. It's great to have a viable live music alternative in da hood other than which caters to the more alt-country/rockabily crowd.
Toronto-based DJ/producer/songwriter just released his new single Flesh Python and has inadvertently made history in the process. It is the last piece of vinyl manufactured here in Canada.
"It is true that the vinyl factory is closing due to the retirement of our master pressman and plant manager", confirmed Aaron Zon, Vice President of . "We are indeed the last Canadian plant standing (that I'm aware of anyway)".
While he assured me that MMS will still offer vinyl pressing through a plant they partner with in Nashville, this is still the end of an era of sorts for the coolest music format.
And what does Canadian vinyl's swan song sound like? Pretty good! One of blogTO's , vitaminsforyou put together an impressive single. "Flesh Python" is one of his best original songs to date and the single includes three remixes, one of them coming from Toronto's own .
As far as online labels go, is pretty damn cool. Since they save themselves a ton of money by not having to press, print, and distribute a physical product, they're able to deliver high quality MP3s of their artists' music for the low, low cost of only $2.00USD/album. Suck on that, iTunes! The formula has allowed the label, an official splinter cell of , to serve up 37 high quality releases from 30 international artists in the last couple of years.
Saturday night, you can catch a showcase sponsored by EN:PEGDIGITAL at the White Orchid (812 Dundas Street West), featuring live PA sets by , , and .
Here we go: another year of checking out new music in our unseasonably mild-weathered city!
Are Toronto indie rockers to blame for the melted snow? I doubt it, but I've heard their energetic performances definitely heat up the rock clubs they've been playing at since forming about a year ago. I'm excited about this band for two reasons: former Most Serene Republic drummer Adam Nimmo (one of the most fun drummers to watch live) and cuddly, Toronto-via-Newfoundland frontman Rajiv Thavanathan (of fame).
Oh No Forest Fires light up the Gladstone (a great venue that doesn't attract enough indie rock in my opinion) this Thursday night. I spoke to Rajiv about this new project, the difficult process of naming it, and about being "guitarded".
Keep reading for the complete interview.