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!
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.
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
Death Cab for Cutie 
