Over the past few years the organizers for UofT Orientation week have consistently delivered on steller Canadian acts to perform at the end of frosh week. Previous performers include Hidden Cameras, Stars and Metric. This year they have delivered again. Although they say you must be a UofT student to go, they’ve pretty open to non-froshies coming to party with them. As long as you can handle standing among confused and socially awkward 17-year olds, I suggest you head out.
TOKYO POLICE CLUB w/Cadence Weapon and Basia Bulat.
DRAGONETTEis headlining the afterparty, a poppy Esthero-esque electropop band.
Last week NXNE hit Toronto for another year of indie music and film mostly centered around Queen St. West. For $29 music fans and hipsters can parade from venue to venue, checking out anything from old time favourites, international sounds or local basement bands. From June 12-14, 2008 musicians from around the world strolled the streets of Toronto, attending the industry conference by day and playing as many clubs/bars/street corners as possible to get noticed.
Even though NXNE pails in comparison to the world famous mecca of indie music festivals, SXSW in Austin, TX, 500 bands in 40+ venues isn’t too shabby! TIP: 2 wheeled transport is king. With bands going on at the top of each hour from 8PM to 1AM (some as early as 6PM and as late as 4AM) and playing 40-45 min sets, you’ve got about 15 mins to get to your next venue. Battling traffic is a breeze by bike on Queen street since at the core, cars and streetcars are pretty much a standstill. All you need to mind are the odd schmoes swinging their door open in front of you excited they actually found a parking spot.
Thanks to my handy bike and wristband, I was able to hit up quite a number of acts. Every year I question whether it’s worth fighting with hipsters at venues just because it’s busy, watching pretentious music industry folks pass through the line only to chat with themselves through the entire set, or simply enduring overly hyped and boring shows. But it’s all worth the effort when you find at least one artist that blows you away. Some highlights this year included Hey Rosetta!, Justin Rutledge, You Say Party! We Say Die! and King Sunshine . Below are a few hot acts I caught from NXNE 2008:
It’s days before the 14th annual North by Northeast Music & Film Festival (and Conference) hits Toronto. This Thursday June 12- Saturday 15, 2008 at over 50 venues in downtown Toronto will host over 300 bands from around the world. Sure, it’s no SXSE, the mecca for indie artists, but it’s still a great opportunity to see both local and international artists without slepping it out to Austin, TX.
Having been a delegate, volunteer and general concert goer in the past, NXNE will deliver some great music, helping launch local artists like Tokyo Police Club, Moneen and Pilate (whatever happened to Pilate anyway?). This year’s line up has a ton of international artists to discover, especially a bunch traveling all the way from down under.
Highlights: Sloan, My Morning Jacket, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, the Besnard Lakes, Dan Mangan, Magenta Lane, People in Planes, Two Hours Traffic, Matt Mays and El Torpedo, We Are Wolves, Great Lake Swimmers, Hey Rosetta!, White Cowbell Oaklahoma, Julie Doiron, Swervedriver, Redd Kross, Sheek Louch, the High Dials, French Kicks, Black Diamond Bay (featuring the Dears’ Patrick Krief), the Diableros, Uncut, Young and Sexy, and Carina Round.
Similar to SXSW, there’s a film festival component to North by Northeast. Of particular note is the debut of the premiere episode of “The Side Street Project”, which gets Holy Fuck, Buck 65, and Emm Gryner jamming on Springsteen’s “State Trooper”, Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, and Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me”.
Click HERE for the full list of artists and films.
Death Cab for Cutie is on tour promoting their new album, this time with the help of Toronto power house powerpop band STARS. I was quite disappointed with their Halloween 2006 show with Teo Leo last year, but perhaps it was because it was late on the tail end of a 2-year or so tour of Plans.
It’ll be an all day affair with supporting acts Rogue Wave and the up and coming buzz band Young Galaxy, so bring a blanket, soak up the sun and feel the music.
Previous Olympic Island summer concerts (not incl. Virgin Music Fest) have featured Broken Social Scene, Sam Roberts, Feist, Metric, Pilate and Sloan. The crowd has traditionally been quite relaxed (i.e. no running the stage or manic moshing) and quite passionate about the music; let’s hope this weekend’s concert will be of similar ilk. WHO: Death Cab for Cutie, with Stars, Rogue Wave and Young Galaxy WHERE: OLYPMIC ISLAND WHEN: Saturday, June 7 @2PM TICKETS: $56.50 + taxes and service fees (Rotate ThIs, Ticketmaster)
With North By North East Music festival fast approaching, tons of artists will be rummaging through the big smoke in the beginning of June. One such artist by the name of Dan Mangan, a Vancouver BC singer/songwriter has swept likes of CBC Radio 3 ala Podcast Host Grant Lawrence and his listeners with his all encompassing folk vocals that has stopped even the most rowdy and rambunctious crowds. The track, Unnatural Progression , stopped me in my tracks. His deep rooted, personal vocals and soft guitar backdrop will warm any evening - despite how sad and pensive they may be.
As part of his cross Canada tour, he’ll be playing a couple venues in June.
June 13 June 12 - Toronto - The Rivoli - "TMB Lawyers" Showcase for North-By-North-East (Time TBC)
June 14 - Toronto - The Savannah Room - North-By-North-East @10 PM. Savanaah room is a bit of a hole but will give a truely intimate vibe; guaranteed he’ll blow you away.
Dan Mangan - "A Passport Approved" Live on Indie 103.1
The rising electro-retro-rock duo from down under have come up to take over North America. The Presets have won over Australia with a #1 Aussie album selling out shows across the country.
The Syndey-based duo explodes with a blend of dirty house dance to get your heart pumpin’ along with psychedelic Depeche Mode inspired synthpop trance sounds to blast you to another dimension. Their pulse pounding ‘My People’ is a club staple.
The Presets perform this Saturday, May 31 @Kool Haus.
Doors @8PM
$16.50
There were many Hillside Festival goers who were largely pissed at the lack of weekend passes available for the 2008 Hillside Festival. Stores in Toronto had only a handful (literally) of ticket available, with passes selling out online/telephone in <20 mins. They’ve got a reason to be mad, since in previous years “early birds” went in 20 mins, but weekend passes were available at least for a couple of days.
What happened? Did popularity double vs. last year? Are they offering less $90 weekend passes this year, in favour of making more $$ selling regular tickets?
Given the calibre of the Guelph music and community arts festival each year, one can’t complain at the regular price tickets. Although you’d miss out on Friday night, full day saturday and sunday tix would cut a $120 hole in your pocket. Most weekend festivals usually start at $200, and at this festival you great locally produced food, water stations, minimal brand-invasion, recycling stations and dishwashing stations.
There is a blind faith Hillside concert goers have with this festival, given the panic to get weekend passes without knowing more than 5 (of >30) artists that will be performing. As a volunteer-enabled concert, Hillside is all about enjoying the music and community; not just to make a profit and a mass event for corporations to sell their brands.
This year’s preliminary line up is shaping up to be excellent:
Click on the “Concerts” button at the top to see what shows are happening in the city.
Check this page often for the latest concerts in the city, feeding from all the major weeklies into one page. You can still add a show if it’s not listed. Check this page often as it’s updated in real time.
Joining them are Paul Weller, Bloc Party, Stereophonics, Wintersleep, Constantines, Spiritualized, Pigeon Detectives, and The Weakerthans with more acts to be announced shortly.
WANNA GET YOUR HANDS ON EARLY BIRD TICKETS? (more…)
Oh Justin Rutledge, an alt-country singer/songwriter taking the country by storm. He’s a well mannered, humble guy with a piercing stare and stark resemblance to a young Elvis that’ll make your hair stand on end. And that’s before he even hits the stage.
I was lucky enough to catch him a few times over the past few months, some here and some in nearby town. His mellow “sway” songs (as he likes to call him) cast a mellancholy spell on the crowd as he performs. When I saw him at the Horseshoe, he put on a 2+ hr set, going well past 2AM. Here I was thinking it’d be done by midnight like most acoustic shows. He has a devoted following of fans young and old, thanks to his timless country roots, but with a modern twist to keep him relevant. (more…)
Death Cab for Cutie 
