Easy Indie Love on College

My Saturday night was all about indie rock on College Street. Two very different venues. Two amazing performances.

My Saturday night was all about indie rock on College Street. Two very different venues. Two amazing performances.

This was my first time going to Wrong Bar even though it is only two and a half blocks from my apartment. was going to play and I was ready to check it out.
The inside of Wrong Bar is all right. From the plush leather couches and spacious dance floor to the juke box and vintage 8ball deluxe pinball machine. I was treated like a regular by , the promoter and my new favorite beautiful bartender Gillian.
Prolific Australian singer-songwriter will bring his songwriting talent to Lee's Palace tonight, in support of his new album, .
describes him as "Legendary AUSTRALIAN 'Springsteen-esque' Roots Rocker," but I'd place him more in the Neil Young-meets-Leonard Cohen camp.
has, in his 30-year career, recorded that span genres from rock to bluegrass and even film soundtracks. Yet his penchant for telling a good story and carrying a good tune remain constant.
The new album's inspiration comes from many places. His songs interweave themes of religion, folklore and everyday life, often told in a compelling, first-person account.
One of Stolen Apples' most powerful moments is in God Told Me To, where Kelly tells the story of a religious terrorist. As he often incorporates biblical imagery in his songs, the last verse of God Told Me To is from the Book of Revelations.
If the song isn't powerful enough on its own, sure does it justice. With the look in his eyes as he sings this song, Kelly sure captures the essence of character in the subject he sings about.
As part of the international youth creativity competition (MJF), will be performing on Sunday night in Toronto, along with very special guests (who were hand-picked by Haines from hundreds of entries submitted to a to be the opening act), and .
And here's one more contest, which will land two lucky blogTO readers each a pair of tickets to the show.
Continue reading for entry details.

MC/Rapper (Mike Boyd) has released his first full length solo album Lost in the Woods on . February 26th was the official release date and was just put up on iTunes this week. His first video Guess Who's Back has also just hit MuchMusic.
Being from Nova Scotia myself and having run into Mike a few times over the years I thought I would call him up and see what's going on about the new album and when he's coming back up to Toronto.

Today, Virgin Mobile announced a tentative lineup for the third annual Virgin Festival, scheduled to be held over the weekend of September 6 and 7 at Toronto Island Park.
So far, only 10 bands have been announced, including Foo Fighters, Oasis, ex-Jam singer Paul Weller, the Constantines and the Weakerthans. In past years, the festival has offered dozens of acts performing on multiple stages, so expect many more bands to be added to this list some time after all the tickets have sold out.

Singer/songwriter Nils Edenloff made the move from Alberta to Toronto after University and formed , one of this city's best unsigned bands.
The RAA have finally released their debut record Hometowns. It's been a long time coming, but the band's profile has been raised considerably over the past year thanks to a lot of touring and drummer Paul Banwatt's other band .
The RAA play the Thursday night as part of Classic Indie Albums Live Present: In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel, one of Nils' favourite records. They will play their own set at 11pm, followed by the Neutral Milk Hotel tribute at midnight.
I spoke with Nils about his move to Toronto, the new record, and Tim Horton's.
Keep reading for the complete interview.

with opening act descended on the Friday night for a one night appearance.
The Opera House was already quite full when I arrived a little after 10pm. One of the best parts of having media access is getting to know the set times in advance so I know exactly when to walk through the door. Five minutes after I got to the venue the opening act Black Acid appeared on the stage.

Contributed by Robert Near.
The hosted "Decadence" last night, March 20th, an after hours rave featuring the likes of , MSTRKFRT, DJ AM, and Infected Mushroom. The colossal venue is a nightclubbing stalwart, hosting a special guest almost every week. But tonight was of extra importance, for one reason: it was the first big rave , on Sunday March 16th. What, would it mean for the party, if anything, and where would people go afterwards?
The effect on the party itself, seemed to be positive. The crowd was definitely up for it. Hoots, hollering, and smiling were the order of the day from the mixed bag of participants - hipsters, muscle Maries, hip hoppers, long time ravers, etc. Friends and random passers by, all commented that it was one of the best Toronto vibes they witnessed in awhile.

Even though I'm pretty tired from , I'm still hitting up Sunday night as , one of Toronto's top techno crews, celebrates two years of quality events around the city.
DJ/promoter/graphic designer/AFE head is pulling out all the stops for this party. He's bringing Berlin heavyweight , one of his personal favourites and one of the top minimal techno/house DJs in the world.
What makes AFE so special? They're commitment to putting on quality events. Not interested in cashing in on any scenester fads, these parties are all about doing it right.
Terence and fellow AFE resident will also be spinning, but expect Steve Bug's extended set to run until around 5am.
Keep reading for a Q&A I did with Terence about AFE and the big party this Sunday.