When the temperature drops people tend to hide in their apartments, which was evident in Parkdale on Saturday night as I made my way to Wrongbar. Once I got to my destination, however, it seemed as though I'd found where everyone was hiding. All the kids had braved the cold and come out early to catch Anamanaguchi with Extreme Animals and Toronto's own Moon King . Cloaked in neon with smiles pasted on their faces, the crowd danced happily to the indie chiptunes (hyperlink not a condescension, I had personally never heard the word [...]
Wale has had a big year. The Washington D.C. rapper known for his underground mixtape projects has signed on to Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group under the Def Jam umbrella, put out his second LP Ambition, started his own label himself called The Board Administration and even made an appearance backed by The Roots on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon . So you could imagine all the media hype and high expectations for his 3-month Ambition Tour, which included Toronto as a stop. This past Friday at The Phoenix Concert Theatre, [...]
While patrons were being served nachos and beers downstairs at Sneaky Dee's on Friday night, upstairs fans were served something a little different: a night of high-energy, eardrum-busting punk rock. Pissed Jeans headlined a three-band gig, which also showcased local outfits, Anagram and TV Freaks (who were also releasing their latest LP). As far as the opening acts went, TV Freaks really shone. The lead singer pulled some crazy Iggy Pop/Sid Viscous shit during their show. On separate occasions he spat into the crowd, beat himself over the head [...]
The Neighbourhood Mixtape is a collection of newly-released songs by Toronto musicians. The mixtape is meant to celebrate Toronto's music culture and provide a forum to listen to and discover new local music. Every Sunday, I post a five-track mixtape (along with my own mini-reflections for each track) that you can download or stream as a soundtrack for the week. Track #1 : Zeus , "Are You Gonna Waste My Time?" Zeus will release their sophomore album [...]
The Holiday Crowd is a local four-piece band - Dave Barnes (drums), Colin Bowers (guitar), Imran Haniff (vocals), Alex Roberts (bass) - whose easy-sounding, catchy melodies are easy to love. Their new album Over the Bluffs lends itself to a familiar sound, with its English folk-rock aesthetic. And yet the group's songs whoosh with dance and sun-stroked vibes. In this week's interview, we caught up with Colin and Imran to talk about the band's new album, their memories of growing up in Scarborough and their romance with the bluffs. [...]
Live music picks for THURSDAY JANUARY 19 through TUESDAY JANUARY 23, 2012. THURSDAY JANUARY 19 / DADA LIFE / THE HOXTON / 69 BATHURST / $20 / 19+ This one's for the electro-house crowd. Dada Life , the duo from Sweden, have been in the game since 2006, but they didn't reach true prominence until 2010, when they made it onto DJ Magazine's Top 100 list. Since then, their popularity has skyrocketed. When it comes to electronic music, I'm definitely more of a drum & bass man myself, but [...]
Friday night Rich Aucoin took over the Drake Underground to celebrate his latest release, We're All Dying to Live . At the risk of coming off as hopelessly cheesy, that's exactly what it was — a celebration. If Dan Deacon was mixed with a kindergarten teacher with the stereotypical friendliness of a Haligonian, you would have Rich Aucoin. He threw a birthday party for everyone, including a dance party with three projection screens, bursts of confetti, group sing-a-longs and a rainbow parachute. It all began with a faux movie trailer for what we were about to [...]
The Neighbourhood Mixtape is a collection of newly-released songs by Toronto musicians. The mixtape is meant to celebrate Toronto's music culture and provide a forum to listen to and discover new local music. Every Sunday, I post a five-track mixtape (along with my own mini-reflections for each track) that you can download or stream as a soundtrack for the week. Track #1 : Trust , "Bulbform" Synth-pop duo Trust will release their debut LP TRST (via [...]
I love deer. When I was little my Dad hunted, and venison was our main source of meat. Deer hides and antlers hung in our house, while at school I was incessantly teased for having roast venison sandwiches for lunch. Today a kid like me might be popular (locavore! organic!) but at the hands of cruel school children in an unfashionable small town, all I wanted was a freaking Lunchable . Nevertheless, a certain nostalgia dictates that bands with deer-species-related-names always tend to catch my attention — and surprise! — I often end [...]
Montreal-based artist Rae Spoon experiments with sound textures on his new LP I Can't Keep All of Our Secrets . This is the second album on which Spoon explores the electronic genre, lacing songs with rapturous currents of cool, constructed beats that sound buoyant and fun. In I Can't Keep All of Our Secrets , Spoon demonstrates confidence and flair for bedroom-style instrumentation, the intensity of sparkly sometimes retro-electro peaking hard and bright. Spoon also retains an affinity for folk and roots ("When I said there was an end [...]
Livejournal is mostly the refuge of spam-bots and underground Russian lo-fi music now (seriously, check it out), but I can clearly remember that time when my after-school job allowed a significant vinyl budget and I spent a lot of energy considering issues related to "girls in the pit," the website was a hang-out which allowed a peek into the lives of friends and strangers alike: a place to chat, express identity, and meet new people — often other music fans. On Thursday night Met You On Livejournal celebrated its one year anniversary at [...]
Denise Benson is one of Toronto's most experienced DJs. In the past 20 years, she's performed at an array of Toronto's clubs — some of which still exist, some of which don't — though you can currently find her at Andy Poolhall where she helps to run one of the city's most successful club nights, Cherry Bomb . She's also launched a new party called Loose Hips , the seventh instalment of which runs tonight . Beyond her work as a DJ, Benson is an accomplished writer who has taken to documenting the [...]
2011 was an important year for Caveman . The band went from relative obscurity, to being named one of NPR music critic Bob Boilen's top "discoveries" of the year, and a track recommendation from indie music "gods" Pitchfork. With the fall release of their debut album Coco Beware now beyond the hump of end-of-year buzz however, the band has a relatively small window to continue riding the coattails of their hype. Caveman's show at the Horseshoe Tavern on Wednesday night gave the impression that they are well aware of this fact. Musically, they [...]
Live music picks for WEDNESDAY JANUARY 11 through TUESDAY JANUARY 17, 2012. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 11 / CAVEMAN / HORSESHOE TAVERN / 368 QUEEN W / $10 / 19+ They haven't been around too long, but this five-piece out of New York have quietly made a name for themselves over the past year. They were named one of the top new artists of 2011 by NPR, and their debut album, CoCo Beware , has received much critical acclaim. They have a similar sound to The Shins, and that's [...]
The Neighbourhood Mixtape is a collection of newly-released songs by Toronto musicians. The mixtape is meant to celebrate Toronto's music culture and provide a forum to listen to and discover new local music. Every Sunday, I post a five-track mixtape (along with my own mini-reflections for each track) that you can download or stream as a soundtrack for the week. Track #1 : Memoryhouse , "The Kids Were Wrong" A warm haze of squiggly guitars form "The Kids [...]
Live music picks for THURSDAY January 5 through Tuesday January 10, 2011. THURSDAY JANUARY 5 / RATTLESNAKE CHOIR / HORSESHOE TAVERN / 368 QUEEN W / $10 / 19+ Why not start off 2012 with some live music from a local quintet? The Rattlesnake Choir , who regularly play at the Dakota Tavern, are bringing their brand of alt-country to the Horseshoe for one night only. And they're bringing along some special guests: the legendary New Country Rehab, and up-and-comers The Pining. This is a fantastic lineup if you're [...]
Placebo Space was a perfect place to spend the first heavy snowfall of winter. On Thursday three solo artists performed, sans snowy shoes, above an auto-body shop in what is quickly becoming one of my favourite Toronto spots. More habitable art piece than venue, Placebo is full of wooden (think still in tree trunk form) furniture, sleek couches, multitudes of floor pillows, and the paintings of Yunior Marino - an artist who's put a lot of love and hard work into Placebo. Projections sync up to the band's audio outputs by way of [...]
On Monday night the legendary Buck 65 helped kick off the Drake Underground's five-day concert series What's in the Box with a set of joyful songs meant to cure the crowd's seasonal sloth. The session, which started at 11pm, brought us back to Buck's hip hop roots with a set list filled with up-tempo beats from start to finish (meant for non-wimps: his words, not mine). With the wicked and weird dance moves one has come to expect from his performances, Buck compelled the crowd to dance out of [...]
Zeds Dead are Dylan Mamid and Zach Rapp-Rovan. While the two of them might not be household names, their dance party Bassmentality will be well known to local dubstep fans and those who frequent Wrongbar. Here they talk about the history of their weekly party, the difference between the dubstep scenes in Canada versus the UK and their relationship with the Killabits. Can you take us through how you started Bassmentality and the evolution of the party from its roots at 751 to what it currently is at Wrongbar ? [...]
Last Wednesday night at The Dakota Tavern By Divine Right reaffirmed their position as one of the most important artists involved in the formation of the mid-90s Canadian indie rock sound. Also reaffirmed was the disdain I have for my mother for not birthing me in time to be a part of it. The band didn't start until after 1am, following a familial night of frontman Jose Contrera and his wife Lily Frosts performance together, her solo project, and finally By Divine Right themselves (with Lily joining in for a few songs). [...]
blogTO - Toronto Indie Music and more
Avicii – Two Million
Yellow Magic Orchestra edit from Chrome Canyon
Beck – I Just Started Hating Some People Today
H&M Lookbook Mujer y Hombre Otoño 2012.
