There’s always something special going on in Toronto… somewhere. And more often than not, for great music it’s a the Dakota Tavern (see clip below) near Ossington and Bloor. Yesterday was no exception, withGlen HansardfromSwell Season (from the movie “Once”) performing a secret show in prep for their performance November 2nd at Massey Hall.
Read the great cover article on this week’s Eye Weeklyfor more information. I was able to see them last year at the same venue, and was utterly blown away. They are promoting their new album, Strict Joyrelease this fall.
My favourite summer indie/folk festival of the year,Hillside Festival,have announced the performer list for their1-day winter event. Hillside Inside is celebrating its 3rd year, giving concert goers a winter music festival to boost them through the dark and gloomy winter months… and hold them over till the full 3-day festival in July.
This year’s event is held on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at the Sleeman Centre in Downtown Guelph. Tickets on sale Nov 7th, 2009.
Performer list to date (more to be announced). (more…)
I had no idea what to expect as I walked into the Rivoli last Saturday night. What initially brought me into the bar was to see the return of an icelandic band, Sprengjuhollin (pronounced “spreeg-guuee-hollin”) who performed here at the same venue at March. How often do you get to see a band from Iceland?
Sprengjuhollin have been on a Canadian tour, playing in the East Coast and in Montreal before returning back to the big smoke. With their arty Norwegian look, they sprung onto stage with tons of energy and punch. Atli Bollason (piano/back up vocals) was charged as the lead frontman in getting the crowd into their music. Although no one had seen them a few months ago, or even heard of their existence before that night, the band was ready to party. (more…)
Reid Jameson w/Jessy Bell Smith
Rivoli
10.28.09
Doors at 7pm (show at 8pm)
Tickets $7 at the door
Reid Jamieson, a talented Canadian singer/songwriter is returning to Toronto. Originally from Toronto and now based in Vancouver, I was wisked away by his achingly sweet songbird voice and heart break music on his “Noise in My Chest” acoustic EP. His follow up alt-country album, “The Unavoidable Truth” was supported by a full band and Canadian talent including Sarah Harmer and Bob Egan, garnering critical acclaim in the Canadian folk/country circuit. Reid also released “The Presley Sessions”, a set of Elvis covers (with a Reid Jamieson touch) in honour of the 30th anniversary of Elvis’ passing. He is currently on tour with CBC’s Vinyl Cafe and making a stop here in Toronto at the Rivoli on Wednesday Oct 28th.
It’s been a few years since i’ve had the chance to see Metric. I missed the2008 show at Sound Academy, mostly on account of their playing at worst concert venue in Toronto – below the Air Canada Centre. The last time I caught them was at the Phoenix to promote their sophomore release, “Let It Out”.
It was nice to find out that Metric had grown into to the historic Massey Hall, similar to her Broken Social Scene chanteuse counterpart Feist had performed in last year. It was an all-Canadian evening with Montreal’s seasoned indie rock veterans The Stills opening the night with a high intensity set. (more…)
Over the past couple years I’ve been following Dan Mangan. So far it’s been a great story for this Vancouver singer/songwriter, whose recent sophomore release “Nice, Nice, Very Nice” in August with Criminal Records has caught some big attention from CbcRadio3 and the indie folk music community. I remember being among a handful of people at NXNE last year, or even catching his free show at the Annex Room with IndieCan, where a small cult-ish Toronto group yearned for him to belt out “Robots” or “Not What You Think It Is.” (more…)
It’s difficult enough to keep up with the kids these days, espeically the teen pop idols of the hour. Because I find myself outside of the mainstream media more and more, rarely listening to radio and without cable, my daily dose usually comes from the day’s Metro on the subway, billboard or Yahoo.com newswire splash page at the intro. Sometimes the rise of mega superstars takes me completely by surprise. Over the past 3 years Regina has surged into the pop circuit right from under my nose as a quirky darling of folk songs. Her her music has bubbled into TV, feature films and commercials across the US and UK. (more…)
The incredible winning duo of Frames frontman Glen Hansard and Czech ingénue Marketa Irglova are returning for North American Tour. I was lucky enough to see them last year at Massey Hall, blown away by their connection and raw emotion that only Massey Hall could contain and amplify. They are returning to Massey Hall on November 3rd 8pm, so don’t miss out.
Presale tickets are avaiable TODAY only through their website (see below for details), offering great floor seats for fans. Public onsale begins Friday Sept 11. (more…)
Along the wave of pop-synth came a brooklyn duo called Matt&Kim. I was lucky enough to squeeeeze into the Whippersnapper Gallery by College and Clinton during the 2009 North By North East Musical Festival. Due to technical issues at the start and a the runs from some bad Thai Food earlier in the day, the duo put on a shortened set, but still made it the best 25-minute dancy bang you could ask for.
Matt plays synth and sings. Kim bangs on the drums. It’s a simple yet super fun combo that had the crowd jumping and playfully singing along. M&K are starting to get some exposure with their hit single “Daylight” being featured on a Bacardi video, and were recently on Jimmy Kimmel live in August. Not bad for a little dynamic pop duo.
Be sure to check them out before someone like Apple gets a hold of them!
The Tragically Hip are releasing their latest effort, “We Are the Same” on April 7th. I’ve had a listen to the first couple tracks from the album, and I must say so far it definitely isn’t the same (yet again) as the tried and true HIp sound and feel they’ve been coming out with for the past 15+ years.
The Hip are doing an “Evening with…” two-set nights with no openers. And playing a monumental 5-nights stint @Massey Hall couldn’t be more of a perfect venue for this iconic Canadian band. Tour Dates: (more…)
