The Supine

concert review: Andrew Bird, Plants and Animals @ The Opera House (Toronto, Ontario), September 25, 2007

Montreal's Plants and Animals opened the night, of their set I'd only caught the last two songs, but which were enough to pique my interest. Their second last song was loud, with hints of an underlying melody trying to creep to the surface while their last song was on the other end of the spectrum, undeniably melodic, slow with some psychedelic pop influences. They're back in Toronto at Lee's Palace on November 16 then at The Drake Hotel on November 17.

Amidst a darkened stage, Andrew and his two bandmates(drummer & guitarist) took to the stage. I'm mostly a newbie to Mr. Bird's music only having made the effort for the first time earlier this year to listen to some of his songs. He straddles the line between standard pop conventions and more sophisticated, classical influences. His show at The Opera House was a fine performance, and somewhat like says Rufus Wainwright, Andrew Bird brings a new sophistication to pop music without suffocating what makes good pop music good - that is, the melodies. Andrew's an impressive multi-instrumentalist shifting from violin, to guitar, and xylophone, plus a generous amount of whistling, often times all within the same song. I also appreciated Andrew's different violin techniques, playing the standard way with a bow, but then shifting to playing it like a ukele and casually plucking at its strings. Not to leave his bandmates out, both drummer Martin Dosh and guitarist Jeremy Ylvisaker were more than capable in their own rights, adding subtle nuances to their arrangements. With a multitude of multi-coloured lighting effects and the wonderful vintage amps and spinning gramphophone-like contraption on stage, the visual elements complimented Andrew's tunes nicely. The only thing I felt missing from the show was more stage banter from Andrew, and given the conceptually abstact song titles of his most recent album "Armchair Apocrypha"[which I picked up at the show], you'd figure Mr. Bird would have more to say. A minor disappointment of what was otherwise a terrific set.

Check out a few photos from the show below. More of my photos from the show over at my Flickr.





Check out more reviews of the show at Torontoist and Jordan Bower's blog.

MySpace: Andrew Bird
MySpace: Plants and Animals

Dance Music

Unfortunately, I had to miss The Mountain Goats show at Lee's Palace this past Tuesday(Sept 25) - I went to the Andrew Bird show at The Opera House instead which it self was awesome. I missed seeing The Mountain Goats live for what seems the like gazzilionth time now. Maybe next time, if there's a next time. Zoilus gushes about the show over at his blog and has an annotated set list also. Check out some videos from the show below (courtesy of flickeringwasteland):

YouTube: The Mountain Goats - "Old College Try" (live @ Lee's Palace 25/09/2007)
YouTube: The Mountain Goats - "No Children" (live @ Lee's Palace 25/09/2007)
YouTube: The Mountain Goats - "Dance Music" (live @ Lee's Palace 25/09/2007)
YouTube: The Mountain Goats - "Dilaudid" (live @ Lee's Palace 25/09/2007)
YouTube: The Mountain Goats - "Jenny" (live @ Lee's Palace 25/09/2007)

velvet2step has posted some more live video clips from last Friday's Okkervil River show at Lee's Palace. Check them out below:

YouTube: Okkervil River - "Black" (live @ Lee's Palace 21/09/2007)
YouTube: Okkervil River - "Okkervil River Song" (live @ Lee's Palace 21/09/2007)
YouTube: Okkervil River - "Unless It Kicks" (live @ Lee's Palace 21/09/2007)
YouTube: Okkervil River - "A Hand To Take Hold Of The Scene" (live @ Lee's Palace 21/09/2007)
YouTube: Okkervil River - "Lady Liberty" (live @ Lee's Palace 21/09/2007)
YouTube: Okkervil River - "Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe" (live @ Lee's Palace 21/09/2007)

Concert announcements: The Go Team! show's been moved to the Phoenix on November 1. KT Tunstall's at Kool Haus on November 22. The Most Serene Republic is at The Mod Club on October 25. M.I.A., Datarock, Holy Fuck, and The Carps at Kool Haus on October 20, 19+, tickets onsale this Saturday at 10 am. BSS PLAYS KEVIN DREW'S SPIRIT IF comes to Kool Haus on December 8 ..damn, I didn't win tickets through Edge.ca for Kevin's show at Lee's Palace tonight. :-(

The New Pornographers performed a live session for KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic on September 20, 2007. Check it out - Dan Bejar was with them too!

Check out Toronto indiepop The Airfield's MySpace which is streaming a couple of new tracks ("yr so Wonderful", "Icing Sugar"). The physical version of the single will contain three songs (the aforementioned two songs plus "Long Way Home") and will be released through Cloudberry Records on October 1, of which only 100 copies will be made. The three songs will appear on the band's upcoming debut full-length out this Fall.

On A Neck On A Spit

concert review: Grizzly Bear, Beach House @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario), September 20, 2007

Sorry for the latesness of this following review. Grizzly Bear with openers Beach House played an early show at The Mod Club last Thursday September 20. It was obvious to me from the get-go that The Mod Club was not an appropriate venue for the show. Given the relative subduedness of both of the acts, Grizzly Bear and their acoustic, experimental psych-folk and Beach House, a duo on electric guitar and electric organ who play languid pop music alternating between desolate and blurry and miasmic, plus the mostly banter-less sets(aside from some polite acknowledgements), it was a show that I couldn't appreciate standing up. Sitting cross-legged on the floor in a more serene venue like The Music Gallery or a more intimate venue like Sneaky Dee's would have been preferable. That said, given my relative unfamiliarity with both bands, except for a few samples I've heard through their MySpaces, I came away from the show for an appreciation for both bands.

Beach House perform music that sounds sad[if not lyrically, probably is], featuring vocalist Victoria Legrand's sombre vocals, and humming electric organ arrangements and guitarist Alex Scally's electric guitar which alternated between slide and fuzzy. The songs maintained a fairly consistent languid pace, beautiful at times(well, many times), and the melodies were for the most part strong, but over the course of an entire set, it was a bit sleepy.

Grizzly Bear fared better with their musically more diverse set. If the melodies weren't so sparkling at times I might have judged some of their more experimental instrumental arrangements as art-school student noodling. Acoustic Simple guitar was at the basis of most of the songs and vocal harmonizing was also creatively utilized but there were also more experimental aspects at times. It was refreshing to see lead vocal duties alternate between Ed Droste, Daniel Rosen, and Chris Taylor. The lush vocal harmonies and creative but never busy musical arrangements of "Knife" were a reminder that Grizzly Bear can, when they want to, create beautiful and interesting pop music.

Check out some photos from the show below. More photos over at my Flickr.





MySpace: Grizzly Bear
Video: Grizzly Bear - "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)" (Crystals cover - live at The Mod Club - Sept 20, 2007)
MySpace: Beach House

- live Grizzly Bear video above courtsey of mazzystarr83

"I Want To Know This Time If You’re Really Finally Mine"

concert review: Okkervil River @ Lee's Palace (Toronto, Ontario), September 21, 2007

Last Friday night's Okkervil River show at Lee's Palace for me was just short of being a cathartic experience. I missed opener Damien Jurado 's set entirely but I hope to catch him next time - based on reviews I've read(check out Chromewaves), the overly chatty crowd didn't give him much of a break during his subdued set. The newbie that I am to Okkervil River first introduced to them by their song 'For Real' and its album "Black Sheep Boy", the cinematic and dramatic scope of that album was slightly toned down by what I thought was a more ramshackle performance in a live setting. Combined with the more straightforward scope, even poppier tone of the songs off the new album "The Stage Names", the performance didn't wash over me as much as I'd hope for. What they did however do was lessen the mystique that surrounded my impression of the band(which was based on "Black Sheep Boy") and prove to me that they're as much adept at rockin' out like the Rolling Stones as they are at evoking a quieter, dramatic atmosphere. A band that can utilize mandolin, horns, and accordion and not sound 'alt-country'[although, don't get me wrong - I like alt-country] is refreshing to say the least. A few overly rambunctious individuals yelled at some inappropriate times[someone yelled out 'Toronto' like it was some sort of friggin' Blue Jays game] slightly ruining some of the quiter moments to the point that lead vocalist Will Sheff calmed it down a bit by letting out a relaxed 'shhhh', intercepted by his mic and lingering over the crowd. For a moment I thought it was part of the song, but then thought otherwise. As much as the band puts into their sound, I do appreciate that they dressed up[ie in suit jacket, shirt, and slacks] for the occasion although a few of them(including Will) were casual enough to shed the jackets during the encore as I'm sure they must have been sweating buckets at that point[and believe me, the temperature in Lee's was cooking from the beginning]. Overall, one of the best shows of the year.

I took some photos - nothing really spectacular since I wasn't up near the stage, but I'll post a few and/or a link to some in the near future.

MySpace: Okkervil River
Video: Okkervil River - "Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe" (live at Lee's Palace - Sept 21, 2007)

- video above courtesy of velvet2step

Dreamworld

concert review: Rilo Kiley, Jonathan Rice @ Phoenix (Toronto, Ontario), September 18, 2007

Given the mixed reviews toward's Rilo Kiley's newest album "Under The Blacklight" and my own laziness of giving the new album a proper listen before the show, I really went into their show last Tuesday fairly open-minded. And the result? It was a fantastic show. With a glittery stage backdrop and Blake and the boys wearing dress shirt and slacks, it felt sort of like the prom. Except the band didn't suck. Added to the lineup, were two girls on horns and background vox. Lead vocalist Jenny Lewis threw aside the June Carter-ish wardrobe of her country-pop solo project touring show for a disco-y halter top and matching hot pants ensemble. A shout-out of 'I love you' from a female audience member to guitarist Blake Sennett prompted a humourous reponse from him along the lines of him that 'it just wouldn't work out', and Blake added a few more quips here and there. Performing mostly from the new album and their last one "More Adventurous", there was a lot of musical variety from the country pop of "Silver Lining", to the 'best song Fleetwood Mac never wrote' of "Dreamworld", to the raunch and roll of "Money Maker", to the disco-y "Breakin' Up", and the soul-influenced "15", to older favourites like the delirious power-pop of "Portions of Foxes", the horn-friendly "It's A Hit", and the audience singalong on "Does He Love You?"(for which if I'd actually known the lyrics, would have been 10 times better than it already was). What was most refreshing about the music was the total lack of irony. Rilo Kiley performed with a genuine love of the musical influences for which their songs touched upon, for the most part adding their own pop sensibilities to those different musical genres.

Jenny's beau Jonathan Rice(with some new length to this hair) and his band performed prior to Rilo Kiley - I missed first openers Grand Ole Party. His resonating voice is the most distinguishing quality of his music but the country-rock melodies and instrumentation performed by his three-piece backing band weren't bad either. If I weren't so excited to see Jenny and Rilo Kiley I'd might have been more in the mood for Jonathan's set but in the end it was just ok. The duet between him and Jenny was fantastic and prompted a glorious response from the audience.

Check out some of my photos from the show below. More photos over at Flickr.







MySpace: Rilo Kiley
YouTube: Rilo Kiley - "Silver Lining" (music video)
YouTube: Rilo Kiley - "Dream World" (live on Jimmy Kimmel Live show - Sept 5, 2007)
MySpace: Jonathan Rice

Broken Barns

A few concert announcements I've been sitting on that may have probably already heard of by now, but just in case you didn't:

Great Lake Swimmers perform an instore at Criminal Records(493 Queen St W) on Thurs Sept 27 at 7 pm. I'm thinking it's only going to be Tony Dekker and not the full band but then I could be wrong[via Stille Post] Oh just to let you know, Great Lake Swimmers will also be supporting Feist at her Hamilton, Kitchener, and London, Ontario dates on Dec 3, 4 & 5 respectively. Also via Stille Post, coming up this Saturday(@ 4:30 pm) at Criminal Records is a free acoustic show by Vice Records The Black Lips.

East coast favourites Wintersleep have a new record "Welcome To The Sky" coming out soon(the band's website is sort of cryptic about it) but you can hear a few songs here. They'll be in Toronto for a FREE CD release show at the Horseshoe Tavern on October 16 as part of 102.1 The Edge's Dave Bookman's Nu Music Nite.

Toronto's The Sadies, whose new record "New Season" just came out in Canada on Outside Records(and is out in the US on October 2 through Yep Roc), will be touring the heck out of their new album including back-to-back dates in Toronto - Nov 2 at Horseshoe Tavern and Nov 3 at Lee's Palace[full tour dates over at Outside Music].

Britpop band Athlete will be touring in support of new album "Beyond The Neighbourhood"(out in the US on September 25) and so far only have a few select dates coming up including Toronto at Lee's Palace on November 6. Tickets $17.50 in advance.

The Russian Futurists have a few west coast dates at the end of October then return home to Ontario for a few dates including a show at The Drake Underground on November 22. (The date's not listed at the MySpace but it is listed on the band's official site.)

Oh, and check out the very Pavement-y new song "Broken Barns" streaming over at The Diableros MySpace. The CD release party for their new album "Aren't Ready For The Country" goes down at the Horseshoe Tavern on October 26.

Old news but on their way to world domination, Arts & Crafts have signed The Constantines and The Stills. On one hand I'm happy, but on the other, Arts & Crafts now seems like one big indie monopoly. Remember when The Dears, The Constantines, The Hidden Cameras, oh and The Stills were all on different labels?

Memories of TIFF 2007

Memories of the Toronto International Film Festival. This year was my first time attending. I only ended up checking out three films(I tried for several more but they were sold out), but I found the whole experience really invigorating, from tearing through the TIFF guide, schedules, and website for what movies to see, to lining up for tickets, to speaking to people in line about what movies they were going to see, and just the general buzz around town during the week about which celebrities I might catch a glimpse of downtown. In general, I could give a crap about celebrities, but who could resist the opportunity to see Jessica Alba or maybe Monica Bellucci in the flesh(alas, I didn't see one celebrity). My friend and I even ventured downtown to the "Blood Brothers" Gala Screening at Roy Thomson Hall last Wednesday chance to see if Hong Kong starlet Shu Qi might be there, but ended up missing the whole friggin' red carpet event. Oh, well there's always next year.

The first film of the festival for me was Asian action film "Flash Point" which my friend and I caught the midnight screening of last Thursday. In general, it was a decent film mostly worthwhile for the imaginative mixed martial arts fight sequences capably brought to life by star Donnie Yen and directed by Wilson Yip. Director Wilson Yip(with an interpreter) was gracious enough to stick around after the screening for a Q & A. On a side note, I must say that "Midnight Madness" audiences are the best, and the "Arrr!"'s from various audience members which rung through the theatre when the anti-piracy message was projected on to the screen totally cracked me up.

I took in a noon screening last Friday of the Bob Dylan 'biopic'(and I use this term loosely), the Todd Haynes-directed "I'm Not There". Preceding the screening, director Todd Haynes took some questions from the audience and gave us some insight about the film. Exploring the psyche of Bob Dylan at different stages of his life using different actors(including Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Richard Gere), the film is not a biopic in the traditional sense. There are cultural, historical, even biblical references in the roles of the different actors that draw parallels to Dylan's psyche at various stages of his life. The film is sort of like an abstract painting - you watch it hard enough, and you're bound to come to your own conclusions. Cate Blanchett, in particular, does a wonderful job in her role. If and when you end up seeing, keep an eye out for the segment featuring My Morning Jacket's Jim James and Calexico in a beautiful musical performance.

It's unfortunate that my TIFF experience had to end on a downer. My friend and I caught the Saturday night screening of "Blood Brothers" over at the Cumberland. It's an asian gangster film which I believe was set in the 1920's. My first inclination was to say it was alright, but I have to be honest, it was cliched and overly melodramatic, although it started out on a promising plot note(which unfortunately was not developed adequately). If Martin Scorcese sets the bar(for well-done gangster films), Blood Brothers barely gets off the ground.

So that's it from TIFF 2007. I hope to do it all again next year.

ps. The movie shoot on Yonge St which started yesterday for the new "The Incredible Hulk" film nicely coincides with the conclusion of TIFF, don't you think? Anyone catch the Apollo Theatre sign, yellow taxi cabs, and trash cans/garbage bags(ie. set dressings) on Yonge St. near Gerrard? So really, the final Hulk showdown is taking place in Harlem?

Video: "Flash Point" (trailer)
Video: "I'm Not There" (trailer)
Video: "Blood Brothers" (trailer)

La Da Da

concert review: Basia Bulat @ Yonge Dundas Square (Toronto, Ontario), September 12, 2007



Currently promoting her debut album "Oh, My Darling"(released earlier this year in the UK through Rough Trade Records, and recently released domestically on Hardwood Records), Basia Bulat and her band have been touring non-stop. Last week she made a surprise appearance with one of her band members singing back up for Rough Trade Records roster-matesThe Veils during their encore at the El Mocambo last week. She'll be playing an instore at Soundscapes at 6 pm on September 19[via Chromewaves]. Her Toronto CD release shows will be on September 22 at The Music Gallery with an early show at 6 pm and and late show at 9 pm, so there's no excuse for not catching at least one of them. This past Wednesday she closed out the Summer Serenade series down at Yonge Dundas Square. Her band compliment was about the same(drums, keyboard, back-up vox, violin) with the only thing missing being a cellist that I've seen as part of her band before. The open concrete environment of Yonge Dundas Square was hardly conducive to the intimacy of her mostly chamber-folk-pop set, but that said I also wish Basia performed a few more foot-stompers to get the crowd into it. For most of the set I was eating lunch and conversing with a co-worker near the back, only to approach closer to the stage towards the end of the set. Up close I only realize that it'd have been a perfect opportunity to put those Jumbotrons to good use - Basia's smile would brighten anyone's day.

More of my photos from the show here.

MySpace: Basia Bulat
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In other news:

Band of Horses have announced some Fall dates which include show at the Phoenix in Toronto on November 9. Maybe I'll finally get to see them live, after missing their last few swings through town. The band's new disc "Cease To Begin" is out through Sub Pop on October 9 - you can preorder it here[via Pitchfork]

Also via Pitchfork, The Walkmen come back to Toronto for a show at Lee's Palace on October 10.

Following in the footsteps of The Rheostatics, Joel Plaskett Emergency take up residency at the Horseshoe Tavern from December 10 through to the 15th[via Pollstar]

The Cure have rescheduled their Toronto dates for May 15 at Air Canada Centre.

You probably already know about this, but you can download a free live Great Lake Swimmers' set here. It's five live tracks from the Church of the Redeemer show in Toronto on April 14/07. The band returns to town for a show at the Phoenix on September 29 with opener Chad VanGaalen. It's an early show, FYI, and Chad performs later that night(Sept 29) at The Drake as part of the Nuit Blanche festivities(speaking of which I hope to check out this year!).

The Night Starts Here

concert review: Stars @ University of Toronto [back campus], September 7, 2007

Stars performed before a hometown crowd(albeit a frosh concert for University of Toronto) for the first time in over a year last Friday(Sept 30, 2007) afternoon. Performing favourites from their last LP "Set Yourself On Fire" and some new ones from their upcoming new LP "In Our Bedroom After The War"(out Sept 25 on Arts & Crafts"), I realized that I've become quite indifferent to their music. Don't get me wrong - I think they're terrific and I like some of their songs a lot. The new material, except for new song "The Night Starts Here", I haven't actually heard except for what I heard at the concert which hasn't sunk in yet. I do think that frontman Torquil Campbell hasn't lost his touch with his banter with the audience, and that for me was really what made last Friday's show worthwhile. Quipping about his experience as a U of T graduate, introducing a song about "fucking someone to death", or taking a drag from a cigarette then blowing the smoke discreetly through the side of his mouth as if trying to avoid the smoke police from kicking his ass of the stage, these were all the hijinks one could expect to see at a Stars concert. Musically, I thought some of the lushness/atmospheric quality of the recorded material was lost during the live performance but it was a minor setback at that. Funny 'bout kids today, but there was a throng of frosh students that actually didn't stick around for the Stars show and walked away in droves. After the main set(and yes, Stars did come back for an encore), I even recall one student to say to her friend "Do you actually like this band?"(thankfully the other person replied "Yes I love them!) - I can only hope that the person asking the question discovers some good music over the next four years of school.

Check out some photos below. More of my photos from the show here.







Check out Stars on MTV Live who appeared on the show on September 11 for a live performance and interview. (Unfortunately, only Canadian residents will be available to view the link.)

MySpace: Stars

Nux Vomica

The El Mocambo hosted a terrific double-bill last Wednesday September 5 featuring Rough Trade Records roster-mates Halifax-by-way-of-PEI's Jenn Grant and Auckland, NZ's The Veils. (I'll try to update this space with a review of some sort, but I've been way too busy, preoccupied, and or tired lately...and I didn't even go to V-Fest over the weekend.)

Here are some photos from the show below. More of my photos here.

Spirit If

Kevin Drew's been getting around these days. He played a MySpace Secret Show in Cambridge, MA last week, and then at the end of the month goes to Halifax for a show before heading out to Europe in October then back to North America in November. So far he's yet to confirm any hometown Toronto dates, and the nearest show around these parts will be a show at Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY on November 10. Kevin Drew is currently promoting the officially titled release "Broken Social Scene plays Kevin Drew's Spirit If"(coming out September 18 through Arts & Crafts). He was in the UK yesterday(September 5) to perform an acoustic live session for BBC 6 Music's Gideon Coe program - listen here(session is about 1 hour and 40 min into the program and program is only archived for about a week after the original broadcast date). Having listened to the session as well as the tunes at Mr. Drew's MySpace, everything I've heard so far's been actually quite good. Kevin's songs are pretty much a toned down version of the scrappy indie rock that Broken Social Scene specializes in and with the some of the layers of noise removed, the songs have more room to breathe. Nice. Update: Via Stille Post, Broken Social Scene Plays Kevin Drew's Spirit If.... at Lee's Palace on Sept. 27th, 2007, 19+ show, tickets $25. [photo source]

YouTube: Kevin Drew - "Safety Bricks" (live at McCarren Pool Park, Brooklyn NY, August 29, 2007)
YouTube: Kevin Drew - "Lucky Ones" (live at McCarren Pool Park, Brooklyn NY, August 29, 2007)
MySpace: Kevin Drew

YouTube videos courtesy of dominicvine.
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The Airfields have annouced another upcoming Toronto date - in addition to their show on Sept 26 at The Smiling Buddha Bar, they'll also be playing a free show on September 25 at Mitzi's Sister.

Republic of Safety have an upcoming gig at Ryerson University on September 27, taking part in a uTOpia event put on by Coach House Books.

If you were looking forward to the New Model Army show at Lee's Palace on October 1, well it's been cancelled. Aversion reports that U.S. Customs and Immigration denied the band's application for a visa.

Portishead DJ Andy Smith is coming to North America for a DJ tour in October and will be in Toronto on Saturday October 13 at a venue TBA.

loveorsympathy has a audio bootleg of Joel Plaskett Emergency's set at Yonge and Dundas Square in Toronto on August 30.

Golden Skans

UK band The Klaxons have won Britain's Mercury Music Prize for their debut album 'Myths Of The Near Future'[via Chartattack]. I'd caught a video of theirs on The Wedge a month or two ago, motivating me to pick up their album. For one reason or another, I haven't been terribly excited about the UK music scene over the last several years but I must admit that "Myths..." is a surprisingly enjoyable album. The songs vary from infectious pop songs akin to Tahiti 80, to dancier elements[hence the nu-rave tag they've gotten although I've read they hate it], and slight nods to the spiky post-punk rhythms of bands like The Futureheads and Maximo Park. I'd been sitting on purchasing a ticket to their show at The Opera House on October 10 but finally made the decision to get a ticket today before it's eventual sell-out. I just want to mention that about the time I actually started listening to The Klaxons about a month ago it was around the time that Factory Records founder Tony Wilson had passed away. Somewhat ironic that these two events coincided considering that a band like The Klaxons might have not existed without the influence of Factory Records.

YouTube: The Klaxons - "Golden Skans" (music video)
YouTube: The Klaxons - "It's Not Over Yet" (music video)
MySpace: The Klaxons
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Misra Records' Mobius Band are at the Horseshoe on November 7 with Tigercity. Mobius Band's new album "Heaven" is out October 2 through Misra Records. Check out one of the tracks below[I haven't checked out the track below yet, but the tracks at their MySpace(surprisingly organic-sounding electro-pop) have piqued my interest.] The upcoming show at the Horseshoe is definitely on my 'maybe' list:

MP3: Mobius Band - "Hallie"
MySpace: Mobius Band

The Airfields have an upcoming Toronto show at The Smiling Buddha Bar on September 26.

Laura Barrett takes part in Ladyfest Toronto and will perform a set at Tranzac on September 27. Check out the full Ladyfest schedule over at Stille Post. Laura will also take part in another female-friendly event, Hysteria: a Festival of Women and will be at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre on Halloween[Oct 31].

Elvis Perkins will be at the Horseshoe Tavern on November 28.

Bradleys Almanac has a review as well as mp3's for download of Kevin Drew's recent MySpace Secret Show[check this link for photos from the show] set in Cambridge, MA at TT the Bears on August 28.

Sipping On The Sweet Nectar

The image capture above is taken from a video promo currently streaming over at Swedish pop crooner Jens Lekman's website. The video promo is for Jens' new album "Night Falls Over Kortedala" out September 5 in Scandinavia(through Service), and October 9 in the US(through Secretly Canadian). With a US tour starting October 23, I'm hoping a Toronto date'll will be squeezed in some time[he hasn't been here since his fantastic show in November 2005]. If you can't wait till October, sample some of the new songs over at YouTube:

YouTube: Jens Lekman - "A Postcard to Nina" (live in Melbourne - 2006)
YouTube: Jens Lekman - Into Eternity (live at Majas vid havet, Varberg, Sweden 14 August 2007)
YouTube: Jens Lekman - "Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo" (live in Norway - 2007)
YouTube: Jens Lekman - "The Opposite Of Hallelujah" (live in Norway - 2007)
YouTube: Jens Lekman - "The Opposite Of Hallelujah" (live at Beachland Ballroom Cleveland, OH)
YouTube: Jens Lekman - "Your Arms Around Me" (live from fecke tv400 - January 2005)
YouTube: Jens Lekman - "And I Remember Every Kiss (Like My First Kiss)" (live Gteborg Film Festival - February 2, 2002)
MP3: Jens Lekman - "The Opposite of Hallelujah"
Stream: Jens Lekman - "Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo" (also read Jens' description of the song)

My primary motivation for even writing this post up was that the imagery above was only a sad reminder that summer is over. Happy Labour Day everyone! We have Jens' album to look forward to in the Fall.

The Way It Is

For the fortunate ones(including myself) who got to see Nicole Atkins & The Sea live when they opened for The Long Blondes at Lee's Palace in June, it was a revelatory experience. She was so comfortable in her skin, with a soulful, torchy voice that resonated with so much emotion that I virtually had goosebumps. She already has a wonderful 6-song EP "Bleeding Diamonds" under her belt. I'm looking forward to her debut album "Neptune City"(regardless of what Spin says) being released October 30 through Columbia Records. A number of songs are streaming over at her MySpace and they're wonderfully fleshed out, at times, quite lush-sounding songs of melancholy. Nicole Atkins & The Sea are back in Toronto opening for The Raveonettes at Lee's Palace on October 14 but I wouldn't be surprised if an upstage was in order. Nicole makes her television debut on the Late Show With David Letterman on October 30. And did you know Nicole was an American Express card holder? Check out the television commercial she did for them below which apparently debuted on tv a few weeks ago:

YouTube: Nicole Atkins - American Express television commercial (2007)
YouTube: Nicole Atkins & The Sea - "Neptune City" (music video)
MP3: Nicole Atkins & The Sea - "The Way It Is"
MySpace: Nicole Atkins
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And in concert news:

Ms. Julie Doiron is at The Drake Hotel for a 19+ show on September 12, tickets $10.00. Julie will be performing at the 2007 Polaris Music Prize Gala party at the Phoenix on September 24, which is by-invite-only, fyi. My invitation must've got lost in the mail.

Toronto folk-country troubadour Justin Rutledge is scheduled for an all-ages show at Trinity St. Paul's on October 13, tickets $22.50. He'll also be at the Junction Arts Festival in Toronto on September 8.

Cuff The Duke are a The Mod Club for a two-night stint of alt-country on November 29-30. Their new record "Sidelines of the City" is out through Hardwood/Universal on October 23.

Magic

In addition to their previously announced CD release show at the Horseshoe Tavern on October 26, The Diableros will also be at The Drake Hotel on September 9 with The Cansecos, Grassy Knoll & The Magic Bullit and more for Toronto International Film Festival showcase.

Friends of The Diableros, The Airfields post about what they've been up to this summer, including the recording of their full-length album in July with Dale Morningstar at The Gas Station studios.

According to Pitchfork, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band hit the road this Fall for a tour which'll stop in Toronto for a show at Air Canada Centre on October 15. Bruce has a new album "Magic" coming out on Columbia on October 2.

NME reports that Irish lads The Thrills newest album "Teenager" is set for a US release on October 23. (I'm assuming US release also means Canadian.)

I'm assuming that their Lee's Palace gig must've went well when they were last here because The Pipettes are back in Toronto for a show at The Opera House on October 5.

Pop weirdos, Ween will be at The Docks on October 26. Their new album "La Cucaracha" comes out this Fall.

Jenn Grant is scheduled for a show at the Phoenix on November 8, according to Paquin Entertainment. A headlining show perhaps?

Psst. Stars are rumoured to be playing University of Toronto's frosh concert tomorrow(August 30). I'm assuming, as it has been in past years, that the concert will again be in the field at the back campus. Could not find a lick of evidence online confirming this show, but a few people have left me comments about the rumour. Hey, I'll take a chance and pass by after work tomorrow. Plan B, you can go see a free show by Joel Plaskett Emergency at Yonge Dundas Square also happening tomorrow, and that show is confirmed. Update: According to commenters Stars AND The Hidden Cameras will be performing at U of T's frosh concert NEXT Friday September 7 in the field at the back campus starting around 4:30 pm(which means calling in sick to work or going to work and leaving early!). Frigs...now I gotta decide between going to that show or the Ryerson one(with You Say Party! We Say Die!, k-os, M.I.A.) at Toronto Centre Island. Dang.

I updated my previous post with one of my photos from the Camera Obscura show at the Phoenix on Sunday night. Any reason to post a photo of the lovely Traceyanne.

Come Back Margaret

On a jump from tomorrow when I hope to post more about yesterday's great Camera Obscura gig at the Phoenix, check out Eye Weekly and It's Not The Band I Hate... who both review the show and basically said almost everything I wanted to say anyway. So maybe I won't ramble any more about it tomorrow. Or maybe I will.

I have some photos from the show. Tracyanne's a doll.

Okay, here's some concert announcements:

You Say Party! We Say Die!, k-os, and M.I.A. are playing at Toronto Centre Island on September 7 as part of Ryerson University's frosh festivities. I got the info off of YSPWSD's MySpace and I think I might just crash this[supposedly the show's only for Ryerson students] in lieu of the Virgin Festival[happening Sept 7-8 oops, I meant Sept 8-9] which I'm not sure I still want to go to(ever since Amy Winehouse cancelled). But I really want to see M.I.A. On the topic of frosh concerts, anyone know yet what bands/artists are lined up for University of Toronto's frosh concert?

Via Stille Post, just about honorary Ontarians by now, Japan's Zoobombs return for some shows around the Golden Horseshoe, making a stop in Toronto for shows at the Silver Dollar on October 9 and October 16. They also be in Montreal for Pop Montreal and in Halifax for the Halifax Pop Explosion. All dates over at their MySpace.

Annuals with openers Manchester Orchestra are at The Mod Club on November 3[via Pitchfork].

Glass Candy return for a show in Toronto on November 1 at a venue TBA. Their MySpace lists it as a Halloween show but it's a day after Halloween. Those crazy kids. They have a few new demos streaming over at their MySpace, if their disco-y, electro-pop is your thing. If anything, it's fun.

Super Trouper

The dog days of summer are upon us but what better way to ease the transition into Autumn than a Camera Obscura show. They play tonight at the Phoenix[scheduled set time 9:45 pm] with openers The Last Town Chorus[who I've been interested in checking out] going on at approximately 8:30 pm. And considering I haven't made it out to many shows this summer, this one should be a good one. I hope they peform their cover of the ABBA tune "Super Trouper" which you can sample below:

YouTube: Camera Obscura - "Super Trouper" (live - ABBA cover)

I thought the following was such a terrific Camera Obscura cover by a fan(and a Canadian one at that!) that it warranted me linking to it. It's a wonderful piano treatment of Camera Obscura's "Let's Get Out Of This Country"[she also performs a few other cover songs worth checking out]. Update: The name of the person performing the Camera Obscura cover below is Sara Rodrigues and she's a Toronto singer-songwriter:

YouTube: Sara Rodrigues - "Let's Get Out Of This Country" (Camera Obscura cover)
:
:
MySpace: Camera Obscura
MySpace: The Last Town Chorus

Back To Black

Boo to Amy Winehouse having to cancel her upcoming North American tour dates including her appearance at the Virgin Festival in Toronto, which now I'm not so sure I want to go to Day One of the festival anymore. Yay for the Spoon show being moved from Phoenix to Kool Haus...this is one of the few times I'm happy for such a change of venue but only because I waited too long and it sold out for the original venue - hopefully I'll snag a ticket for the Kool Haus show if I don't again sit on my ass too long. I'm not sure when the extra block of tickets go on sale - they aren't yet available through Ticketmaster.ca. Spoon info via Chromewaves.

Just three Canadian dates to look forward to if your a fan of Queens of The Stone Age who'll be in Vancouver on September 1 at Orpheum, Toronto on October 15 at Hummingbird Centre and October 16 in Montreal at Metropolis. The Black Lips The Black Angels and Biffy Clyro will be opening the Toronto show according to Emerge. Tickets on sale Friday August 31 at 10 am.

Another round of tour dates is on the horizon for Scout Niblett who returns to Toronto for a show at Silver Dollar on October 23.

The Exclaim Wood, Wires & Whisky Tour featuring Elliot Brood, The Acorn, Plants & Animals, and Sunparlour Players, plus special guests makes its way across Canada starting in Montreal @ Casa Del Popolo on October 11 and ending in St. John, Nfld at Elwoods on November 24. The tour stops in Toronto for at show at Lee's Palace on November 16.

The Besnard Lakes have another round of tour dates starting in September and bringing the band back to Toronto on October 12 at the Horseshoe Tavern.

Beggars Group Canada lists Holy Fuck playing somewhere in Toronto on September 29 as part of the all-night arts Nuit Blanche festival. And if you hadn't already heard, Holy Fuck just signed with British imprint Young Turks which is part of the XL Recordings group of labels. The label expects to release theband's debut full-length, entitled "LP" on October 23.

Loudon Wainwright III is at Hugh's Room on December 3 according to Pollstar...it's not listed on his MySpace, but not entirely within the realm of possibility since his MySpace lists he's in Buffalo, NY for a show on December 4.

Rilo Kiley performed a live acoustic session(including songs 'The Moneymaker' & 'Under the Blacklight') for BBC 6 Music's Gideon Coe program on August 20, 2007. Listen here(session is about 1 hour and 40 min into the program and program is only archived for about a week after the original broadcast date). Rilo Kiley are at the Phoenix on September 18 in support of their newest album "Under The Blacklight".

Dream, Dream, Dream, Dream, Dream

Halifax by-way-of PEI's Jenn Grant continues to impress with her first music video for her song "Dreamer"[via A Quiet Revolution]. I could do without the contemporary dance sequence part way through the video but the dream-like forest/bicycle scenes are interesting and the performance/dance contest sequence at the end is just plain fun. The video features her beau Jason Burns(of Halifax band Down With The Butterfly, and also part of his sweeties' touring band), her bandmates and other musician friends. Check it out:

YouTube: Jenn Grant - 'Dreamer' (music video)

Jenn makes her way back to Toronto for a show at the El Mocambo on September 5 opening for New Zealand's The Veils. More tour dates over at her MySpace.

The next volume of the Burn To Shine DVD series was filmed on July 29, 2007 in Atlanta(54 Moreland Ave.) and Chad Radford has some photos from the shoot. This volume will feature performances by 12 bands which include Shannon Wright, The Liverhearts, The Selmanaires, Deerhunter, The Black Lips, Delia Gartrell, The Mighty Hannibal, The Carbonas, The All Night Drug Prowling Wolves, The Coathangers, Snowden and Mastodon. Info via Creative Loafing Atlanta and Dry Ink. Plus thanks to Cable and Tweed for the heads up as well as introducing me to the diverse sounding The Selmanaires who are at the Horseshoe Tavern with The Black Lips on September 23.

I checked out The Beating Heart Festival in Mississauga last Friday night hoping to see/hear The Diableros but they either played first or cancelled altogether(I only stuck around for Woodhands[punky/electronica - not my thing] and Fox Jaws[terrific, as always]). Fortunately, they're on the cusp of releasing their new album which finally has a title, "Aren't Ready For The Country" which will be released on Tuesday October 16th on The Baudelaire Label. Their official website will launch October 1 with a full album stream. In the meantime, there's a few song samples("Nothing Down In Hogtown", "Left From The Movies") streaming over at their MySpace. First impressions? Pretty good. They pretty much continue along the lines of where their debut album "You Can't Break The Strings In Our Olympic Hearts" left off, with songs awash with generous amounts of hammond organ and guitar, a punctuacted rhythm section and Pete's wavering vocals. I'm curious to hear the rest of the album to hear if the melodies are as strong as those on their debut lp. There's a few select tour dates so far including a CD Release party in Toronto at the Horseshoe Tavern on October 26 - tickets $8.00.

The New Pornographers' Carl Newman got married over the weekend. Congrats. Apparently, at the wedding reception Neko Case sang a "fiery set of songs about love gone wrong." Wish I could have seen/heard that. Perhaps her set was a little like her set for NPR's World Cafe last Friday(August 17, 2007)[via Largehearted Boy]. The New Pornographers' newest disc "Challengers" is out tomorrow in Canada through the Last Gang Records imprint - I got a copy of it in the mail last week and it's pretty excellent. 'My Rights Versus Yours' is as nearly spine-tingling at times as 'The Bleeding Heart Show' and I've had it on repeat all weekend.

Concert Announcements & Other News

According to Pollstar, My Brightest Diamond and Tim Fite will be at The Drake Underground on September 11.

Oh, and that K-OS/Joel Plaskett Emergency bill at the Kool Haus on September 19 I mentioned the other day...it's part of something called Bazaar Disco Tour which will also include You Say Party! We Say Die!, Jewish Legend and Bonjay. Tickets $29.50 and went onsale yesterday.[via TorontoSun.com]

Via Brooklyn Vegan, Swedish garage-rockers The Hives are scheduled for their own headlining show at the Phoenix on October 3. Good news for those who didn't want to have to pay the hefty price tag to see The Hives open for Maroon 5 at Air Canada Centre the following night.

The Architecture in Helsinki show in Toronto on October 18 has been moved to The Opera House from Lee's Palace. Their newest album "Places Like This" will be a Polyvinyl release already out in Japan and Australia in July and in Europe on August 13, and coming out in North American next week on August 21. Audio samples and tour dates over at the band's MySpace.

Spoon performed an acoustic live session for BBC 6 Music's Gideon Coe program yesterday(Aug 16/07) morning, including dynamite versions of "Don't Make Me A Target" and "Don't You Evah". Listen here(session is about 1 hour and 40 min into the program and program is only archived for about a week after the original broadcast date). Spoon are in Toronto for a show at the Phoenix on October 15.

And keeping with live sessions, UK's The Magic Numbers performed a live session for KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic which you can view/listen to here. They stop in Toronto for a show at Lee's Palace on August 29.

Finally, good news that Matt Pond PA have just announced a first round of North American tour dates. Bad news that Toronto isn't one of them...one sole Canadian dates though in Vancouver at The Plaza Club on October 11. Lucky bastards. Matt Pond PA's new album "Last Light" see's the light(oh I kill myself) on September 25. Spin spoke to Matt Pond about the new album(oh and I just found out that Neko Case contributed to it!)[via Largehearted Boy]