Apologies, but the concert page is under construction. Tibconcerts (the company I work with to list Toronto shows) is totally revamping their site.. so my SPOT the Groove page is on the list, hopefully coming up soon.
Stay Tuned!
-Robb
Add comment October 30th, 2008
Jeffery Straker
Bread and Circus, Kensington Market
09.10.08
On a referral from a friend, I mosied down one cool Wednesday evening on September 10 to check out Jeffery Straker, a queer small town prairie boy come singer/songwriter in Toronto. It was a friendly songwriters circle, with two other musicians sharing the stage. It was at a small venue that I’ve walked by a million times while in Kensington Market, but never entered. The Bread and Circus is a tiny nook bar tucked between the fish, fruit and random army surplus vendors on Baldwin Street.
With mostly friends supporting their kickoff party to their West/Northern Ontario tour, the prairie boys put on a fun and intimate gig that had everyone singing, clapping and even playing harmonica. Straker was on the piano and had a bright, whimsical, cabaret sound, accompanied by a barrel of lyrics based mostly on personal experiences, childhood (trauma!) and the actions of those around him. Despite the seemingly bright and auspicious sound, many times the lyrics painted a deeper, somber picture. But when you have a bipolar friend that stole a cake from Tim Hortons and fed it to a statue of Alexander the Great right in front of you, as a songwriter how could you NOT be inspired to write about the experience? With Elton John ala Tiny Dancer inspired pianos and MIKA vocals, you can’t help but sit up and take a listen.
The other 2 musicians were also engaging and fun to listen, interacting with the audience and engaging in witty banter, which is par for the course. One especially amusing tune was “Soldier” by David Hein, a well seasoned local singer/songwriter and folk festival veteran, written as part of a workshop at the Brandon Manitoba folk festival. The tune was written in 24-hours and must include the infamous Killers lyric: “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier”.
The “3 guys from the prairies” will be touring in Hamilton, Manitoulin, SSM, and North Bay, and returning back to Toronto for Straker’s CD Release party on Nov 13 @Supermarket. Let’s hope he’ll have the full band so we can see him in full force!
REVIEWED BY: ROBB
Add comment September 17th, 2008
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.
DRAGONETTE is headlining the afterparty, a poppy Esthero-esque electropop band.
Add comment August 29th, 2008
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 Kin g Sunshine . Below are a few hot acts I caught from NXNE 2008:
Death, drugs, sex and absolute fabulousness. This ADHD glam rock band has come out of the NYC closets and grungy bars to make their Canadian debut at the Silver Dollar. Their high energy show will bring rock and sexuality back in the vein of Bowie/Iggy Pop. Bisexual frontman Justin Precious Tranter gives a commanding diva sized performance that’ll top any drag queen from Priscilla: Queen of the Desert or perhaps even Hedwig, the transrock queen from Germany. Their blend of classic rock is contemporised with a grungy NYC sound; throw in some 12-inch heels, boob bombing, and heel/toe kicks during guitar solos and you’ve got a weapon guaranteed to rock out any club! CDs won’t be available until the fall, so until then you can always pick up one of their semi-precious jewellery or an envirobag printed with a line that really summaries this killer band: "I CAN’T PAY THE RENT BUT I’M FUCKING GORGEOUS".
Semi-Precious Weapons VIDEO #2
A great singer/songwriter from the West coast. He’s acoustic folk and pop sound is powerful when coupled with his deep raspy voice. Similar to S-PW, Dan’s music is inspiried both by the old greats like Woody Guthrie and the ambient pop artists today (A Northern Chorus, Sigur Ros). Although he was forced to cope with the cavernous Fun HAUS (poor poor venue selection by NXNE organizers), Dan was able to still capture some intimacy into his set. Let’s hope he’ll play at a better venue next time around!
OK so not really one artist, but rather an amazing pastiche of Canadian bands doing 15-min power sets at Six Shooter HQ backlot on Queen St. East, near Pape Ave. With a flurry of musicians both performing and simply enjoying the music, Six Shooter put on a great afternoon of free music, food and $4 beer from 2-6PM. It’s a hidden gem off the beaten NXNE path, but well worth the trek out East. This years artists included: NQ Arbuckle Elliott Brood Jason Plumb Hey Rosetta! Hawksley Workman Melissa McClelland Luke Doucet Justin Rutledge Oh Susanna Chris Letcher Royal Wood Dog Bus . It was a truly relax atmosphere focused around great music, leaving fans satisfied (albeit loaded) and ready for the final Saturday night of festival going in the city.
Hawskley Workman w/Hey Rosetta! @Six Shooter NXNE BBQ
Add comment June 25th, 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.
Check out highlights from NXNE 2007.
1 comment June 10th, 2008
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)
Add comment June 4th, 2008
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
www.danmanganmusic.com www.myspace.com/danmangan
3 comments May 29th, 2008
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
Tix available at Rotate This! and Ticketmaster.
The Presets - “My People”
1 comment May 28th, 2008
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:
Get your tickets at Ticketpro via the Hillside website. Tickets will sell out so get them fast!
Add comment May 28th, 2008
Announcing our new Toronto concert listing page!
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.
Add comment May 28th, 2008
SPOT the Groove is a Toronto-based concert listing and artist spotlight website.
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