I happened upon Creature purely by chance while channel surfing the other day. As I paused on a channel, I was drawn to their unique video for Pop Culture. Actually, I may have been initially fascinated by vocalist Kim Ho's subtle, yet meticulously trimmed facial hair, but the song caught on almost immediately as well.

Don't let the sparse pickings for songs on their MySpace page fool you - those three songs are jammed full of goodness. They claim that they are "Putting the F back into Punk!!" and that they are.

Creature's MySpace Page with 3 songs.

The Rogers Picnic, the one day outdoor music showcase that rocked Fort York last summer is BACK. This year's lineup is still a secret but will be announced tomorrow.

I know what you're thinking... why should you enter a contest for a concert that hasn't yet been announced? The answer is simple. If you win, tomorrow brings news very much relevant to what you'll be doing on July 20th. All I can say is that once again the lineup is stacked, and it's sure to draw a diverse, summer-fun-loving crowd.

blogTO will be at this hot ticket and we also have a couple of pairs of tickets to give away to two lucky readers. Continue reading for contest entry details...

In honour of Elephant Shell, the new album from Newmarket's Tokyo Police Club, blogTO is giving away some choice swag to 5 lucky readers.

For everyone who's had to make due for the last two years with the 16 minute 8-song wonder of their debut, A Lesson in Crime, and the small handful of killer singles they've put out in the meantime, Elephant Shell delivers more of the glorious post-punk power-pop the band is know for, with eleven killer tracks clocking in at just under a half hour.

With its burgeoning independent music scene, it made sense that Toronto took part in the annual Record Store Day which was celebrated across North America last Saturday. The eight-hour long event showcased a diverse array of local artists ranging from blues rock to straight-up country.

Held at Sunrise Records' 336 Yonge St. branch, Toronto's Record Store Day consisted of unplugged performances from Illscarlett, Neverending White Lights, The Sunparlour Players, Machete Avenue, Laura Barrett, The Joys, The Rizdales, Derek Miller and The Creepshow. There were a number of kids who camped out in the store from lunch just so that they could get a good glimpse of Illscarlett come dinnertime. Talk about dedication.

Well, music fans, it's that time of year again; the 22nd annual Toronto Jazz Festival has just announced the lineup for this year's festivities. With a solid stream of events running from June 19 to 29, there's something there for just about every musical taste.

But wait, you say you don't like jazz? There's actually way more going on than just jazz. There's a night with soul legend Al Green, Louisiana gris-gris master Dr. John, funk giant Maceo Parker, Grammy-winning gospel singers The Blind Boys of Alabama, Philly-based turntablist RJD2, and electronic artists like The National Parcs and Grand Analog.

Mark The Cobra Snake might be the best known party photographer. He has reached celebrity status by taking pictures of his high roller friends as well as an assortment of cool cats in LA and around the globe.

On Thursday May 1st, he'll be in Toronto hosting with local promoters Dopplehertz, an uber-hipster dance party featuring Heartzrevolution at Wrongbar.

It was a big night. The hot ticket. George Stroumboulopoulos was there. Kevin Drew was there. It was a packed house. It was Brooklyn "it" band MGMT headlining at the Mod Club. Everyone wanted it to be their favourite concert of the spring. But did it deliver?

Welcome to the Toronto Portraits. Every Friday we're going to profile a young, dynamic Torontonian, and each week we're photographing them in a different Toronto neighbourhood.

Chandler Levack, 21 years old. Parkdale.

Chandler Levack is one of those people who seems to knows everyone. Everyone in the downtown arts scene, anyway. Under 23 years old. That's still a lot of people.

Tycho is playing this Sunday April 20th at the Drake Underground, and If you're a synth lover like me, you don't want to miss this one.

I was first introduced to Tycho when I purchased a T-shirt from ISO50, later to realize both where projects from San Fransisco based artist/designer/producer Scott Hansen.

As Tycho, Hansen manages to produce beautiful atmospheric soundscapes full of warmth and depth. Reminiscent of Boards of Canada, he creates highly emotional and melodic ambient music, while keeping it warm and colorful.

Skratch Bastid is coming to The Drake this Friday night to cure your fix for some serious Hip Hop and Turntablism trickery. Even in the middle of a cross Canada tour with Buck 65 and Cadence Weapon he finds the time to play his monthly residency at The Drake Hotel.

Having known Skratch Bastid aka Paul Murphy for about 10 years from my underground party promoting days back in Halifax I was able to track down the nomadic member of the 1200 Hobo's and get an interview out of him.

Click below for the interview.