
Toronto - Before I begin with the review proper, allow me to digress right away and launch into a story about the last time I saw Herman Dune . It was in Paris, so of course the band was speaking French (because, you know, they are French) and it was a good show, of course, but the reason I'm telling this story right now is to let you all know that playing the role of confused foreigner can work wonders for you sometimes. Having shown up at the show late, I approached the ticket vendor guy and, in my best French, [...]
1. The same new Japandroids album I talked about last year. 2. A full-length from Victoria's Hawk & Steel. No release date yet, but frontman Peter Gardner reports they're recording fifteen songs in January. 3. Provincial, the debut solo full-length from Weakerthans vocalist John K. Samson, out January 24. (Pre-order here.) And in February Samson will [...]

With the rain pouring harder than it has in Toronto in weeks, soaked but excited people filtered into Bloor Street's Trinity St. Paul's Church. Shivering and damp, ready for warmth whether it be from temperature or the kind brought on by the night's roster, we settled into the pews, where we'd leave puddles. Julie Doiron took the stage half an hour after promised, declaring how nervous she became within the last ten minutes. I would too if I was in a church, under one spotlight, surrounded by people. But I don't think I, or many [...]

When Julie Doiron performed in-store at Sonic Boom in Kensington Market on Saturday afternoon, you would have been hard-pressed to find anyone who wasn't digging her laid back vocal stylings and banter with the crowd. Dozens of people squeezed into the music store to hear the affable Doiron play her unique brand of music. As the first in-store performer at the store's new Kensington Market location, she made an impression on the crowd with not only her music, but with her charming and motherly personality. Her setlist offered selections [...]

Kandle Osborne When I last wrote up Timber Timbre back in March , shortly before the release of their latest Creep On Creepin' On , I commented on how unlikely it seemed that the Toronto trio's murky goth-blues should make them stars (relatively speaking), but how that seemed to be exactly what was going to happen. And indeed, it's been a good 2011 for them, to say the least. The decidedly positive critical response and popular demand kept the band on the road through all of [...]

The Event Horizon, Volume One, Part Seven Autoportrait avec Germaine Schroeder - Jean Reutlinger; date unknown ( via ) Must be the weather, Everyone seems so so-so Or maybe it's the time of year Something in the air All I can think about is you. Something in the air. The weight of the air is enough that I've lost myself, I stopped paying attention to the glass, I inadvertently poured [...]

And the parade continues... I forget how much fun I had making these. Blogophilia 11 was released in September 2009. If you've been following along, you should have noticed that I am deep in my "Intro" phase for mixes. I am not sure why I stopped that. Maybe that's something to consider for next mix. The highlights for #11 are All the Kings Men by Wild Beasts and Sleep All Summer by The National and Saint Vincent . I apologize for putting the Pete Yorn tune on [...]
LIVE, LIVE, LIVE! OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS I'VE BEEN BOOTING ABOUT ALL OVER EUROPE, HITTING MUSIC FESTIVALS (PALEO/CAMDEN CRAWL) AND INDEPENDENT GIGS AT CLUBS AND BARS, SOAKING UP THE UNIQUE ENERGY THAT CAN ONLY BE OBTAINED FROM WATCHING MUSIC PERFORMED LIVE. NO MATTER HOW MUCH MUSIC YOU CAN DOWNLOAD FOR FREE...NOTHING BEATS THE REAL THING. LIVE CONCERTS ARE ONE OF THE MAIN WAYS MUSICIANS MAKE ANY MONEY THESE DAYS...THAT PLUS MERCHANDISING....SO GET OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR FAVE ARTISTS WHEN THEY COME TO TOWN....BUY A T-SHIRT, SIGN THE [...]

Live music picks for WEDNESDAY AUGUST 10 through TUESDAY AUGUST 16, 2011. WEDNESDAY AUGUST 10 / TONKAPUMA / THE BOAT / 158 AUGUSTA AVE / $5 / 19+ When April Aliermo and Daniel Lee aren't making 60s-inspired doo-wop rock with their band Hooded Fang , they're creating riots on the stage as Tonkapuma . Full of spunk and energy, the duo produce shoulder- and head-shaking beats in surf-rock style. Fellow locals The Soupcans , The Connoisseurs of Porn and Michigan's Forget The [...]

Well, we're just about halfway with the reposts... Today, we feature volumes 9 and 10, which were originally posted in August 2009. Volume 10 holds a special place in this blog's history, because that's when Aaron from Tsururadio offered to post the mix on his blog. That started a bit of following and it has grown ever since. Aaron's moved onto Tsuruphoto, following his passion for photography. He now has a nudie-zine featuring some edgy but tasteful art, several videos to promote the zine and Tsuruphoto, and the occasional mixtape. We owe a big thanks for his early support, and [...]
Chad VanGaalen - Cries Of The Dead Chad VanGaalen - Willow Tree The Deep Dark Woods - All The Money I Had Is Gone The Deep Dark Woods - Hang Me Oh Hang Me Jenn Grant - Dreamer Julie Doiron - No More Nathan Lawr - Righteous Heart Jim Bryson - All The Fallen Leaves FemBots - Good Days Aidan Knight - Jasper [...]

bon iver calgary okkervil river wake and be fine richard youngs love in the great outdoors julie doiron consolation prize richard swift a song for milton feher damian jurado gillian was a horse jens lekman the opposite of hallelujah antony and the johnsons crazy in love foreign born vacationing people bon iver holocene All mp3s courtesy of [...]

Jessica Eaton Though they should be - and probably are - at work on their next album, a follow-up to last year's The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night , Montreal's Besnard Lakes have put together a little something something that will not only slake their fans' appetite for some new outer space-scale rock, but give them an excuse to get out of the studio and back on the road for a spell. On September 20, they'll release You Lived In the City , a new 123 EP that [...]

Facebook Beirut and Owen Pallett have a pretty long and storied history together, with the former enlisting the latter to arrange and add strings and things to their last full-length, 20072s The Flying Club Cup , as well as take lead vocals on the song "Cliquot" while the latter while still operating as Final Fantasy enlisted members of Beirut to play on his Spectrum, 14th Century EP. So yes, hardly strangers. But even so it still counts as an [...]

Last month Death Cab For Cutie returned to the spotlight with "You Are A Tourist," the great first single and video from their forthcoming Codes And Keys . A sunny addition to our spring playlist, it recalls brighter moments of mid-period Cure when it's not channeling "Float On." That's fitting given how Ben Gibbard's got five Cure covers in his live repertoire. In fact I can't remember ever seeing seeing the guy perform without hearing some other band's song in the set. So before we gear up to collectively prematurely evaluate Codes , here's a listen back at [...]
Julie Doiron ::: photo by Brittney Bush Bollay I've recently rediscovered ice cream sandwiches. I had one every day with lunch when I was a kid, taking an extra twenty-five cents to school for the pleasure, but adulthood has brought a freezer filled with overcomplicated Ben & Jerry's flavors and fancy schmancy gelato. Then I caught [...]
I'd just like to say that I love my Dad, he is the coolest and funniest individual in the world, and I wouldn't wish for him to be any different. However, my new mother-in-law? Not so sure how I feel about her: A. Having the time to customize all her profile pictures B. Customizing those profile pictures C. Creating a youtube account under the name '69sweetbum' D. Creating a video montage with pictures of me and my half sister (Click here for Video) E. Congratulating my dad on his success below that video But [...]

A weekly roundup of Toronto's Audio & Video, focusing on the latest MP3 downloads, album releases, audio streams, music videos, specialty sessions, live performances, interviews, exclusive content and more from the cities vibrant music scene and artists all around the GTA.