Virgin Festival Alberta Today marked the announcement of the penultimate Canadian Virgin Festival which will take place at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta on August 8-9, 2009 . Here's what the initial and somewhat promising lineup looks like: Virgin Festival Alberta: August 8-9, 2009 (Canada Olympic Park, Calgary, AB) August 8, 2009 Pearl Jam, K-OS, Thunderheist, Arkells, Mother Mother, The Cliks August 9, 2009 Billy Talent, Metric, Tokyo Police Club, White [...]
Last week I was going to post about my predictions for what will end up on the Polaris Music Prize Long List this year, and I'm glad I didn't. With hindsight, after seeing the long list, I realized that there's a lot I couldn't possibly account for when 190 judges are having their say, and only a handful regularly contribute to the online discussion group set up for us. It's a pretty diverse list, more so than last year's, which should make choosing the 10 that will end up on the short list that much more [...]
Hamilton rockers The Arkells are playing a free gig in Toronto tomorrow night (June 13th). The band is heading into The Edge's studio at 228 Yonge St for a 9:00pm show.While the band is good, and it should be a solid intimate show, I can't resist but point out how the former CFNY has gone down hill rapidly over the last few years. It used to be a source for new music. Nowadays it's simply a
It's been three weeks since my first Arkells post, and I'm still hooked on the Canadian indie/alt-rock band. Tonight's tune, The Ballad of Hugo Chavez, was released as the second single, on April 27, 2009, in support of the band's debut LP Jackson Square . The song was selected as the follow-up single to Oh, the Boss Is Coming after winning an online fan-vote. It took me a while to figure out the chorus line "in the night of the sun". After I did some reading on Hugo Chavez , and learned that while [...]
Virgin Mobile Festival (Canada) While we are still awaiting an announcement regarding the fate of the US Virgin Mobile Festival , our neighbor to the north has committed to hosting 5 "Vrigin Mobile Festival" events this year, two of which have already announced dates and initial lineups. Any way you look at it, the lineup for the two day Montreal Virgin Festival is weak, the just announced lineup for the one day Halifax Virgin Festival looks pretty promising though. Check out all the details below, [...]
Tonight's tune comes to us from the Hamilton, Ontario indie/alt-rock band Arkells . John Lennon can be found on the band's debut LP Jackson Square , released in October of 2008. Jackson Square was released by the independent Canadian label Dine Alone Records . Other notable Canadian acts on Dine Alone Records include Attack in Black , Bedouin Soundclash , and City and Colour . Head on the wall and my piss hardly makes the stall [...]
Before I start, here's the things I learned: -you can get past a line faster if someone on the inside of the bar thinks you are from Pitchfork. -Canadian's are easily roasted in Austin sun. -one should never mix rye and syrup. you'll see. Following up on my half-assed posts from last week, I really don't have that much more to add about Tuesday night . I've remember more since (guitar hero at the PureVolume [...]
I must apologize in advance here for the lateness of this post. Being under the stress of certain events and tragedies that have just taken place in my life, I did not exactly have the time or patience to write my article concerning the 9th Annual Independent Music Awards yesterday. Walking into the Royal York Fairmont Hotel at just around 8pm on Saturday, I found myself soaked in Rockstar 69 from a previous altercation that night. To say the least I would have to say that my car looked a lot worse than I did. I spent a [...]
Here's a recap of the events I managed to hit on Friday at Canadian Music Week.Hannah Georgas @ Criminal RecordsAn in-store performance for a young woman who has been compared to both Kate Nash and Feist. I'd say either Zooey Deschanel with a mean streak or what Emily Haines' solo album should have sounded like. I did a sit down with Hannah as well which will be posted soon.Hannah Georgas'
There was a big power outage in Toronto last night. Apparently, a water main broke and flooded a power station, which cut off power and heat to thousands of people in the west end. In this kind of weather (-16 C / 7 F) its a bit of a problem for a lot of people, so hopefully they'll get the power back on again. This morning I planned on taking the bus to work that stops right outside my place. It did arrive on time, but resembled a can of sardines on wheels with people packed right to [...]
2008 was a great year for good music and a pretty good year for great music. I kept expanding my list from 20 to 25 to 30, and then back down to 20 (sort of). Deciding what would be my #10 took forever. (The top #9 have been there for a while, with the order shuffling around till seconds from this posting.) And actually my Top 5 were as close as they've been in ages. My rules: whatever year an album is first made available in any legally obtainable format (CD, vinyl, digital, etc), that is the year it's eligible. [...]
The list is done, here's what rocked us in 2008. I'm posting this list now, but I'll add some words tomorrow and the next day. 1. The Midnight Organ Fight - Frightened Rabbit . 2. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - Sigur Ros . 3. For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver . 4. Visiter - The Dodos . 5. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires . 6. Alpinisms - [...]
Lists, lists, lists. Today it's time to look at the best homegrown acts of the year. Best Canadian artists of 2008 : 10. Born Ruffians "Hummingbird" was one of the catchiest, quirkiest songs of the year. 9. Caribou The breakout Polaris Prize winners. 8. Islands Another solid album. [...]
Since recently being signed at the beginning of the year to Dine Alone Records (same label as City & Colour, Bedouin Soundclash), Hamilton, ON's Arkells are truly one of Canada's up-and-coming rockers. The band has since released their EP "Deadlines" and shared the stage with such bands as Tokyo Police Club, Cuff the Duke, Matt Mays & El Torpedo and Alexisonfire. The five-piece band is made up of Nick Dika on bass, Max Kerman and Mike DeAngelis on guitar and vocals, Tim Oxford on drums and Dan Griffin on the keyboard. Nowadays, [...]
A lot of the bands at this year's M for Montreal festival seemed to have some sort of schtick, whether it was a wild lead singer who jumped into the crowd, guitarists prone to rock star posing, or an impressive audio-visual backdrop. Hamilton, Ontario five-piece Arkells had no schtick, but no other band at the fest had as many memorable songs to my virgin ears as them. Reminiscent of '80s blue collar heartland rock (be it The Boss or the Mats) Arkell's songs traded flash for big chords, bigger hooks and instantly catchy [...]
I knew this video was in the works, but had no idea it was finished yet. Check out the video for Oh, The Boss Is Coming by Hamilton's Arkells , from the album Jackson Square .
It's hard to find three new acts each and every week to present to you. Sometimes I just need a break. So this week I've decided to give you a recap and some artists I've reviewed recently. The Brilliant Mistakes For those who like : The Jayhawks, Matthew Sweet Great melodies, catchy hooks, clever lyrics. You don't need much more. Album Review [...]
Jackson Square is the new album (out Oct. 28th) from Hamilton, ON rock band The Arkells. The album is not a groundbreaking artistic statement. But not everything these days needs to be. What Jackson Square is is a solid rock album. What the listener doesn't get in bells and whistles is more than made up for by the heart and honesty of the band. The songs, like the lead-off single "Oh, The Boss Is Coming!", tend to be forceful efforts that should appeal to fans [...]
Sharing a love of the kind of raw, soulful "Springsteenesque" rock that inspires a teen to pick up a guitar and start a band, the Arkells formed in Hamilton, ON, in 2006. The ambitious and prolific five-piece quickly found its groove, and recorded debut EP "Deadlines" in 2007. From the strum of the first track, the six-song EP showcased the Arkells masterful blending of traditional blues hooks mixed with modern rock-laden riffs, and a touch of classic Motown era rhythms. Their catchy melodies and unbridled energy live garnered critical acclaim with NOW Magazine describing the Arkells as having [...]
I like watching bands get better. And from these earlier posts , you can see that I've been watching this 5-piece band from Hamilton (with songs about factories) grow into a powerhouse live band with a great album to back it up. Charlemagne became Arkells and Arkells have come into their own. This year the band signed a deal with Dine Alone Records ( City and Colour, Attack In Black ) and it seems to have steered the band in the right direction. [...]
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Summer (Or What It Sounds Like) Vol. 3
Thursday Pass Along – May 24, 2012
