Concert Announcements & Other News

Aug 10/07 - Ohbijou @ Harbourfront Centre [*]
Aug 22/07 - Blue Rodeo, Old 97's @ Molson Ampitheatre ($16.25-$65.50) [$]
Aug 25/07 - Sloan, The Golden Dogs @ CNE Bandshell [*]
Sep 20/07 - Grizzly Bear @ The Mod Club [!]
Sep 21/07 - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals @ Massey Hall ($32.50-$40.00) [&]
Sep 26/07 - Kaiser Chiefs, White Rabbits, Datarock @ The Carlu [*]
Sep 29/07 - Rocky Votolato, Portugal. The Man @ El Mocambo [*]
Sep 30/07 - Caribou @ Rivoli (secret show - see band website for details)
Oct 9/07 - Voxtrot, The Little Ones, 1990s @ The Mod Club [^]
Oct 12/07 - Pinback @ The Opera House ($15) [%]
Oct 14/07 - The Raveonettes, Nicole Atkins & The Sea, Gliss @ Lee's Palace [+]
Oct 23/07 - Tori Amos @ Hummingbird Centre For The Performing Arts [*]
Oct 30/07 - Black Mountain, Oakley Hall, The Cave Singers @ Horseshoe Tavern [*]
Nov 13/07 - Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings @ Lee's Palace ($16.50) [%]
Nov 13/07 - Menomena, Illinois @ The Mod Club [#]

! - Pitchfork
* - Pollstar
$ - Canoe Jam!
& - Pitchfork
% - Rotate This
# - Pitchfork
^ - Just Keep Bloggin'
+ - Chromewaves
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In other news, Beggars Group purchases Rough Trade and Sympathy For The Record Industry is on the selling block.

In advance of The New Pornographers appearance at this weekend's Roger Picnic at Fort York, NOW spoke to Carl Newman about the softer touch on the band's upcoming new album "Challengers"(out August 21 on Last Gang Records).

Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo

Milton-ites The Most Serene Republic return to the radar with their upcoming album "Population" to be released in Canada on October 2 through Arts & Crafts. Download a track from the album:

MP3: The Most Serene Republic - 'Sherry and Her Butterfly Net'
Tour Date: August 18, 2007 @ Westside Theatre(Hamilton, ON) w/ Apostle of Hustle, Young Galaxy

The late Johnny Cash's backing band, The Tennesee Three come to Toronto for a show at Lee's Palace on August 20. The band features core members Bob Wootton (lead guitar & vocals) & W.S. Holland (drums) but likely will include a few other members if I've read the Wikipedia entry correctly.

As Chromewaves mentioned last week, Patrick Krief(guitarist of The Dears) brings his own solo singer-songwriter project to the Rivoli on August 30. Brooklyn Vegan points to Mr. Krief's MySpace which feature some streaming songs, two('Bourre' & 'London', unmastered recordings) of which feature Land of Talk's Elizabeth Powell on vocals.

The man perpetually on tour, Ted Leo and his band The Pharmacists have a load more North American dates scheduled over the next three months including a return date in Toronto at The Mod Club on October 7, tickets $15.00. Support is 60's pop-inspired duo Georgie James from Washington DC. Check out their MySpace.

Mojo interview Ween about the 4-year gap since 2003's "Quebec" and their most recent release, Reinhard Raith, the man behind Crazy Frog.

Labrador Records have posted a 68-track Summer Sampler available for download. For lovers of all things Swedish and pop.

And speaking of Swedes, Jens Lekman just finished the recording of his new album last week(according to his July 22, 2007 Smalltalk post). To tide us over he's released a new single, 'Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo' b/w Radio NRJ. Listen to the A-side here. Jens calls it "`one of the finest...`, but the absolute finest popsong I've ever written. Fuck Black Cab. Fuck Mapleleaves. In ten years this will be a true classic." Oh, Jens.

Floating By The Open Window

In honour of my friend and his wife's wedding yesterday(of which I was happy to be part of the wedding party) I bring you the following. Apparently Feist only recently began performing live a cover of Sarah Harmer's 'Open Window (The Wedding Song)'. Such a lovely song and the lyrics say it all. Check it out below:

YouTube: Feist - 'Open Window (The Wedding Song)' [Sarah Harmer cover] - June 24, 2007 @ Moore Theater - Seattle, WA
YouTube: Feist - 'Open Window (The Wedding Song)' [Sarah Harmer cover] - June 26, 2007 @ Filmore - San Francisco, CA

And speaking of Feist, Pitchfork reports that she's added a few more North American tour dates to the schedule in September, the only Canadian date being the Osheaga Festival in Montreal on September 8, but Southern Ontarians might consider checking her out in Buffalo, NY at Albright-Knox Art Gallery on September 7. Maybe you might get to hear her version of 'Open Window'.

MySpace: Feist

Little Waltz

Prior to going out with Final Fantasy for a Canadian/US west coast tour in October, Basia Bulat has a few Ontario dates lined up including a CD Release party in Toronto on September 22 at a venue TBA. (Check her MySpace for all tour dates.) The CD in question is her debut album "Oh, My Darling" which is finally getting a Canadian release through Hardwood Records on September 18[the album was released earlier this year in the UK through Rough Trade]. I'm not sure if Basia's still performing September 12 at Yonge-Dundas Square since it's no longer listed at her MySpace although it's still listed on the Yonge-Dundas Square Calendar of Events.[photo from here]

Local indiepoppers The Airfields have a few upcoming shows including August 16 at The Boat (as part of Pitter Patter Nights) and August 26 at Kensington Market as part of Pedestrian Sundays for a Psych Fest which will also include other local bands including The Adorables, The Easy Targets, The Hoa Hoa's, and more.

North Carolinians Bowerbirds are set to open for The Mountain Goats for the upcoming tour which stops in Toronto September 25 at Lee's Palace[via Pitchfork]

North Carolina's The Avett Brothers have a solid North American tour schedule(see their MySpace) from this month through to November with a stop in Toronto at the Horseshoe Tavern on October 7.

Of Montreal hit the road for an extensive North American tour this fall according to Pitchfork, the closest which it will come to Toronto being on October 10 in Buffalo, NY at The Tralf.

Pollstar lists a few upcoming Massey Hall shows including Ben Harper & Piers Faccinni for a two-night stint September 28-29 and Sinead O'Connor on October 20.

According to Chartattack, Ottawa's The Acorn's second full-length "Glory Hope Mountain" is set for release on September 25 through Paper Bag Records and are planning to support it with a fall tour. Check out the Chartattack link for the track listing.

Reader Colin Ryan posted over at Stereogum some thoughts, photos and video of The White Stripes' secret-show ONE-NOTE set that took place yesterday in St. Johns, Newfoundland prior to the band's proper gig that night(of which A Quiet Revolution has a review, photos, and video of).

Long time no hear from Toronto garagey-rock-pop trio Magneta Lane, but according to a recent MySpace blog post they've amicably parted ways with their label Paper Bag Records and have no plans for touring until their new album is completed and recorded.

Feist was on BBC 6 Music's Gideon Coe program this past Monday and was interviewed and performed a couple of songs for the program. Listen to the session here[about 1 hour and 40 minutes into the program; program is only archived for a week]. Or else new-ish blog All I See Is Black And White And Red has mp3's of the session(which include live versions of '1234' and 'The Park) already available for download.

Gear up for Spoon tomorrow(July 18, 2007) when they perform a live session(including songs off their most recent album "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga") for Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15 PST[2:15 EST]. Listen here.

Everything From A To Z

Before they head out on a European tour with The Decemberists starting near the end of September, Land Of Talk have a few more North American tour dates lined up including a date at El Mocambo on September 4, with Cloud Cult supporting. Maybe I'll finally get to see LoT live. Check out their tour dates over at their MySpace.

Chartattack posted Great Lake Swimmers upcoming tour dates(GLS are in Toronto at the Phoenix on September 29). The Septmber 28 date is quite tempting with GLS playing with Final Fantasy AND Ohbijou in Guelph at River Run Centre. That might just be worth the 45 minute drive.

By now you probably already know that Voxtrot return to Toronto on October 9 for a show at The Mod Club. And as Chromewaves points out, everything(well Pitchfork) points to The New Pornographers show at the Phoenix being on October 21(not October 20) with support from Emma Pollock and also Benjy Ferree.

Aversion has the tracklisting for the new PJ Harvey album "White Chalk" coming out in the UK on September 24.

Just a little bit of local non-music news - Torontoist ran a story a few days ago that a TTC Station Modernization Progam is set to be underway with the planned restructuring and redesign of nine subway stations including Pape, Dufferin and Bloor-Yonge first then Victoria Park, Islington, Kipling, Museum, St. Patrick, and Osgoode. I'm particularly interested in Islington and Kipling since I usually board the subway at one of those stations. Prior to this news I never gave a second thought that the TTC subway stations needed a facelift or restructuring but come to think of it, not only do a lot of stations look like shitholes, but I believe some aren't even wheelchair accessible.

I'm assuming some of you've already seen that recent Zellers commercial which features a revamped version of The Alphabet Song('ABC'). Someone posted it on YouTube the other day. Zellers has been running ads over the last little while with some stellar music(songs from artists including Esthero, Joel Plaskett, The Salteens) and the new Alphabet song is maybe the best one yet...I think it's an original song actually. Open call to any teachers out there who teach their class to sing that new 'ABC' song and post it on YouTube. I'd LOVE to see that.

YouTube: "Everything From A To Z" - Zellers Commercial(2007)

Shout - Out Out - Out Out!

concert review: Shout Out Out Out Out, Cadence Weapon, The Russian Futurists, The Cansecos as part of Beats, Breaks and Culture Festival @ Harbourfront Centre (Toronto, Ontario), July 7, 2007

It's a been a week since the Beats, Breaks and Culture Festival down at Harbourfront Centre last weekend. Ain't no party like a Shout Out Out Out Out party as the Edmonton outfit tore it up with their brand of danceable electro-disco rock. With a double drumkit setup plus keyboards, guitar, bass guitar and vocoder(and probably a few other dodads) they got the crowd on their feet and never let up once. The crowd returned the favour as they chanted in staccato unison, 'Shout - Out Out - Out Out!'. It was great to see fellow Edmontonian Cadence Weapon join in on one song at the request of the band. The party continued afterwards in the Brigantine Room as Toronto-based label Upper Class Recordings hosted a showcase of it's artists including The Cansecos, The Russian Futurists and Cadence Weapon with some in-between set DJ'ing from Rollie(aka Cadence Weapon) himself. The Cansecos opened the night playing an interesting blend of indie rock fused with funk, electronica and disco. It was only my second time seeing The Russian Futurists live(the first being when they opened for Junior Boys back in April of this year) but they continue to impress me with their dense sonic collage of pop-psychedlia. Unfortunately, I didn't stick around for Cadence Weapon's headling set(at any rate, at least I saw him last year) since it was getting late but I must mention that Rollie's DJ set(after The Cansecos' set) was awesome.

Photos: Shout Out Out Out Out @ Harbourfront Centre - July 7, 2007
Photos: The Russian Futurists, The Cansecos, Cadence Weapon(DJ) @ Brigantine Room - July 7, 2007

You can next catch Shout Out Out Out Out live when they play the Hillside Festival in Guelph on July 28. In the coming weeks/months, Upper Class Recordings will be releasing a few items - The Russian Futurists release "Me, Myself & Rye"(a compilation of songs from their first 3 albums) in Canada July 24, while The Cansecos new album "Juice" is to be released this fall. In the meantime, The Cansecos are offering a free download of their very disco-ish "Juiced" LP(links below):

MP3: The Cansecos - "Juiced" [side A]
MP3: The Cansecos - "Juiced" [side B]

MySpace: Shout Out Out Out Out
MySpace: Cadence Weapon
MySpace: The Russian Futurists
MySpace: The Cansecos

Check out a few of my choice photos from the night below:

Who Sucked Out The Feeling?

Aversion brings news that 90's alt-pop obsurities Superdrag are reforming. The original lineup of John Davis along with founding members Brandon Fisher on guitar, bassist Tom Pappas and drummer Don Coffey Jr. will take to the road for the first time since the act's original lineup's played together in 1999. Their song 'Sucked Out' has to be one of my favourite songs of the 90's:

YouTube: Superdrag - "Sucked Out" (music video)

Chartattack reports on the upcoming September 18 release of The Sadies new album "New Seasons" will be released through Outside Music.

Reggae pioneers Sly and Robbie and Massive Attack-endorsed reggae singer Horace Andy will be at Phoenix on August 21, tickets $30.00 and already available at Rotate This.

A few concert announcements courtesy of CANOE JAM! - Barzin and Kiosk will be at The Opera House on September 8. I wonder if the Kiosk they are referring to is this one. I've never heard of them in any case, but Kiosk(the London one) have a swaggery rock sound combined with female British vocals which is quite likable.

Brandi Carlile with openers A Fine Frenzy will be at the Phoenix on October 9. Tickets are $10.00 and are already on sale at Rotate This. I picked up Brandi's most recent CD "The Story" and she has an amazing voice that's sweet yet raw. Check out her MySpace.

Akron Family and Bob Log III will be at Lee's Palace on September 23, tickets $15.00.

Lay It Down

concert review: Cowboy Junkies, Ivy Mairi @ Live @ Courthouse (Toronto, Ontario), July 3, 2007



Making good on a promise I made to myself back in February to see Cowboy Junkies live the next time they played in Toronto, I saw them last Tuesday at the posh Live @ Courthouse in Toronto. Believe it or not, but this was only the second time I ever saw them live, the first being in 1989 at the revolving stage of long-gone Ontario Place Forum. By the looks of the fanbase that was at The Courthouse last Tuesday, the audience(myself included) have aged along with the band. The average age of the audience had to be at least 40, making me(in my 30's) one of the youngest ones there it seemed. Wow, that doesn't happen often. The venue itself apparently was an old courthouse, hence the name, now a jazz club boasting a stage and cozy dinner tables strewn around the floor, with a bar at the back. It's just about the most posh venue I've been in in Toronto. The acoustics were good, at least to my ears.

Opening the show was Ward's Island young indie-folkie Ivy Mairi. With her recently released Michael Timmins-produced album "Hey You" "Well You" (released on the Junkies' label Latent Recordings), Ivy performed a selection of tunes from it spotlighting her charming, fragile vocals and spare guitar arrangements. Sometimes it leaned to far to the folk side of things but the more straightforward melodic pop songs were enticing. She even performed a fantastic cover of Daniel Johnston's 'True Love Will find You In The End' with her friend Georgia Webber dueting with her(and whose vocals reminded me a lot of Jolie Holland).

It bugs me that it seems that Toronto's Cowboy Junkies are more popular in the US and in Europe than they are in their home country. It's a shame. I'll admit that even I lost interest for a time being in the 90's(although I remain true to "The Trinity Session", "The Caution Horses" and "Black-Eyed Man"). As 2007 marks the 20th anniversary of their landmark "The Trinity Session" I couldn't pass up the chance to see them live this time. Joined by multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bird the Junkies performed a delectable selection of tunes. Even though I wasn't familiar with some of the set list(some of the songs from their most recent album "At The End of Paths Taken"), much of it was so instantly identifiable with the band's sound, from Margo's hush vocals, Michael's hypnotic guitar sounds, Alan's soothing bass guitar, and Peter's tight drum work. No longer the shy frontperson, Margo seemed quite comfortable in her banter with the audience, much of it actually quite funny and endearing. Her comment about opener Ivy Mairi's songs being about love and such was then offset jokingly by her apologizing for her band's set being emotionally more sad and down, although she blamed her brother Michael(again jokingly) because he writes all the lyrics. A late set segment featured just Margo, Michael on guitar and Jeff on mandolin(if I recall correctly) which was highlighted by an absolutely spine-tingling version of "The Trinity Session"'s 'To Love Is To Bury'. That trio setup also continued into the encore for an awesome cover of Neil Young's 'Powderfinger' before the rest of the band came back on to the stage to finish in fine fashion with the classic bluesy-country of 'Cause Cheap Is How I Feel'. Hmmm, I remember one of the first band t-shirts I ever bought was a Cowboy Junkies one with the phrase/song title 'Cause Cheap Is How I Feel' unassumingly stitched into it. I'm pretty sure I still have the t-shirt somewhere, a little worn but still comfortable after all these years. Seeing the Cowboy Junkies live again after all these years felt exactly like wearing that t-shirt.

Here are my photos from the show.

MySpace: Cowboy Junkies
MySpace: Ivy Mairi
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I'm looking forward to seeing Glass Candy in Toronto at The Social on July 26[via Stille Post]. UK blog Yer Mam! turned me on to them with the lush, classic soul sound of their song 'Rolling Down The Hills'. So infectious, maybe the song of the summer(at least for me). Download/listen to it over at their MySpace:

MySpace: Glass Candy

Great Lake Swimmers are back in Toronto for a show at the Phoenix on September 29 according to Canadian booker Paquin Entertainment.

The English Beat are at Lee's Palace on October 20 and also perform in Oakville at the Oakville Centre For The Performing Arts on October 26. Check out their North American tour dates over at their MySpace.

So Here We Are

Full coverage of the Live Earth concerts which happened yesterday in several cities around the world can be seen here. Yeah, the (environmental)message may have been forgotten momentarily as people just got in to the music. Was Live Earth just another rock show? For many it was. As Time points out, the "giant carbon foot print" of an event that Live Earth was was inherently at odds with the concert's energy-conservation message - if anything does come of the concerts it's that somehow the message wasn't lost. In the days, weeks, and years ahead, well we'll see.

Bloc Party at Wembley Stadium was one of the highlights(well for me anyway):

Video: Bloc Party - "The Banquet" (live @ Live Earth (Wembley Stadium) - July 7, 2007)
Video: Bloc Party - "So Here We Are" (live @ Live Earth (Wembley Stadium) - July 7, 2007)
Video: Bloc Party - "The Prayer" (live @ Live Earth (Wembley Stadium) - July 7, 2007)

Myriad Harbour

Pitchfork has a new New Pornographers track('Myriad Harbour') for your listening pleasure, a Dan Bejar-penned track. I haven't listened to it yet, but then again it's written by Dan. How could it not otherwise be awesome?

Beastie Boys are in Toronto for a show at Molson Ampitheatre on August 13. They just released an instrumental album "The Mix Up" recently but I don't think the Toronto date will be an all-instrumental set.

A few upcoming, just-announced Lee's Palace shows: punk icons Sham 69 are there on September 16, tickets $17.50. And maybe I'll finally get around to see The Mountain Goats live when they stop by on September 25, tickets $15.

Post-punk legends Pere Ubu will be at Lee's on October 2[via Stille Post]

According to booking agent The Windish Agency, Holy F*ck will be opening for Slint at the Phoenix on July 16.

The Lamb Sells Condos

concert: Final Fantasy, Do Make Say Think @ Harbourfront Centre (Toronto, Ontario), July 1, 2007



Happy Fourth of July to any Americans reading. And now with those niceties out of the way, I bring you memories of my Canada Day(July 1). My friend and I checked out Final Fantasy and Do Make Say Think down at Harbourfront. No in depth review this time - check out Chromewaves[who also photos] and Blacking Out The Friction[who also has a video]. It was my first time seeing Toronto's Do Make Say Think live. I'm not too familiar with their music but I found their music aesthetically similar to say, Broken Social Scene's "KC Accidental"(an oversimplification perhaps, but I'm sticking with that). Taking an instrumental approach, the band combined strings, horns and standard rock instrumentation into an invigorating blend of rhythmic, jazzy, post-rock(for lack of a better term) goodness. Great. I should definitely look in to picking up the new album some time. Only my second time seeing Final Fantasy live, his headlining mostly-solo set was a far more low-key set than the Do Make Say Think large-band experience which preceded it. I was a little disappointed that Mr. Pallett took his position on stage a little left of center(due to a projection screen set up in the centre of the stage) which hindered my enjoyment slightly. A nice sequence of overhead projection visuals was integrated into Owen's performance later in the set but seemed was cut short due to too much wind. In the back of my mind, Owen as a headliner for the night seemed a strange choice for the celebratory Canada Day festivities, low-key and a bit more cultured for some people perhaps. On the other hand, the encore-clamoring at the end of the set showed Final Fantasy was definitely appreciated.

Here's a few more photos from the show.

MySpace: Final Fantasy
MySpace: Do Make Say Think
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Now to catch up on some news I've been sitting on for a few days. The Horseshoe Tavern is the last played you'd think a band like Iceland's Amiina would/should play but there they'll be for a show on September 10. Tickets $15[via Rotate This].

East coast, Lo-fi pop outfit Eric's Trip reunite(again) and will be in Toronto for a show at Lee's Palace on September 15[via Stille Post]. They're also in Hamilton, ON at a venue TBA on September 13 according to their MySpace.

Pitchfork reported last week that Caribou hits the road this Fall for a tour, that unfortunately(at least as of now) doesn't have a Toronto date. The closest Caribou comes to these neck of the woods is September 28 in Hamilton, ON at The Casbah, and September 29 in Waterloo, ON at Starlight Lounge. To tide us over Merge Records will release the "Melody Day" single in North America on July 10(digitally and on 7" via City Slang elsewhere on July 31). The new album entitled "Andorra" comes out on Merge on August 21. I'm really digging the electro-pop, psychedlia of "Melody Day" - check it out here.

Chartattack has the tracklisting for the upcoming Stars album "In Our Bedroom After The War" coming out on Arts & Crafts on September 25. The first single "The Night Starts Here" can be downloaded from the Arts & Crafts website. They play the Virgin Festival at Toronto Islands on September 9.

Continuing their Danish fixation, Toronto's Paper Bag Records have signed The Figurines and will release their new album "When The Deer Wore Blue" on September 11. The first single "Hey Girl" can be heard at their MySpace and the single will be available for download via iTunes on August 7[via chartattack]

Pitchfork brings us some new Feist material - Feist sings 'Somewhere Down the Road'(penned by Jesse Harris who's also written songs for Norah Jones) for the soundtrack to the upcoming film "The Hottest State". Those who critized Feist's new album for going too far into adult contemporary territory will NOT like this new song. I like the new album, and while this new song starts off alright, the sappy instrumentation at the end kills it. Check out the Pitchfork link above to listen to the song. Or else check out Feist's Canada Day performance(of "I Feel It All") in Ottawa here which is much better[via Just Keep Bloggin'].

The Thanks I Get

concert review: Wilco @ Massey Hall (Toronto, Ontario), June 30, 2007



At Wilco's last show at Massey Hall in 2006, Jeff Tweedy ended up calling the audience motherf*ckers for sitting down for more than half the set and being so comatose. However, it didn't help that the set consisted a lot of slower tunes and Jeff hadn't bothered to say anything to the audience for much of it. He subsequently apologized for his comment and said he should have invited the audience to stand up sooner. In response to those circumstances it seems, much of the audience for this past Saturday night's Wilco show at Massey Hall were on their feet right from the beginning of the show and Jeff and the band appreciated it wholeheartedly. Toronto was the last date of Wilco's eastern seaboard tour and in return we got a rousing show that was worthy of that honor.

The musicianship was tight and the band's enthusiasm definitely shone through. Nels Cline was on fire on guitar, particularly on solos and several guitar freakouts but was also quite adept on adding subtle touches like his pedal steel which graced the beautiful country-esque 'Sky Blue Sky'. I never paid particular attention to the drumming in the past, but this time I realized how tight Glenn was on the drums as well as other percussive instruments like xylophone. Multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone was dynamite on a range of instruments like guitar, keyboards and a few handheld percussive instruments. The double guitar assault of Nels Cline and Pat Sansone during encore number 'Hoodoo Voodoo' was a highlight of the evening. Jeff broke out into a stationary running man dance during 'Hummingbird' which got the crowd absolutley giddy. The band's new album "Sky Blue Sky" was represented with a few tracks including the breezy Impossible Germany', and the aforementioned 'Sky Blue Sky'. Much of the set(thankfully) did rely on "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and "A Ghost Is Born" with a few favourites from "Summerteeth" thrown in. In between Wilco's set and opener Low's set(I missed their set unfortunately), I chatted briefly with a girl next to me who I remember said she was from Chicago and going to school up here in Toronto and I could have sworn that during 'Via Chicago' she wiped away a tear. Their set opener reached back to "Being There" with the lonely beauty of 'Sunken Treasure'.

The following(and not in the exact order necessarily) are some of the songs I recall Wilco performing[the ?'s I'm not as sure about though]:

Sunken treasure / Impossible Germany / Sky Blue Sky / Via Chicago / Ashes of American Flag / I am Trying to Break Your Heart / Kamera / Jesus, etc. / I'm the Man Who Loves You / Shot in the Arm /
The Thanks I Get / Spiders (Kidsmoke) / Hummingbird / Handshake Drugs / War on War / Hoodoo Voodoo (encore) / Hell is Chrome (?) / Either Way (?)

Update: Set list here. Thanks to Thierry for the heads up.

Here are my photos from the show. [You might notice I'm now using Flickr!]

Chromewaves reviews the show favourably and has some great photos. The Toronto Sun and The Globe and Mail also review the show.

MySpace: Wilco

Places You Call Home

Inspired by Zoilus' recent post of his Top 20 Toronto Albums(which was a submission to a poll conducted by Soundproof Magazine[for which I was also invited to submit a list but didn't get around too, sorry]), I was thinking of my favourite Toronto artists. Local pop shoegazers Mean Red Spiders then came to mind. They haven't performed live much recently - I think they performed a showed earlier this year, and then before that their last show maybe was last year's Virgin Festival set(which I missed). Their last album was 2002's "Still Life Fast Moving" which I never got around to picking up. According to their December 10, 2006 MySpace blog post their new album is tentatively titled "Waler" and at the time of that blog post the recording was almost complete. A few demos of songs from the new album are currently streaming over at their MySpace. The last album and the new one apparently continue towards a more 'fuzzy' pop sound than the shoegazer-y "wall-of-sound" pop of the band's first two albums, 1998's "Places You Call Home" and 2000's "Stars and Sons". Thankfully the wonderful angelic vocals of Lisa Nighswander still remain. I wonder what the status of the album is at the moment. Funny, but I've actually never seen the band live. Hopefully, they tour for the new album. Ten years in as a band they definitely deserve more recognition.

MySpace: Mean Red Spiders
streaming audio: Last.fm
MP3: Mean Red Spiders - "First and Only"
MP3: Mean Red Spiders - "Azimuth of Panama"
MP3: Mean Red Spiders - "Trains and Boats and Planes" (Burt Bacharach cover)
MP3: Mean Red Spiders - "Shiny Skin"

Happy Canada Day!

Sam's Town

Goodbye, Sam. Today, the flagship Sam The Record Man store in Toronto closes the door for business 46 years after opening it's doors in 1961. I'll miss it. It's ironic that Canada Day is tomorrow and one of Canada's institutions will be gone by tomorrow. My earliest recollections of it were the mid to late 80's when I was in highschool and now I work right down the street from it. Other than the auction of Sam's memorabilia that happened this past Wednesday, Sam's seems to be going out with a whimper. I was there this morning and although I managed to pick up several things on the cheap, it was pretty much picked through. That said, why was the discount still only 50 % off? By the last day, I thought the discount might have increased to 75 % or more. No fancy speeches, no fanfare(at least this morning), just people digging through CD's trying to find a few gems and store employees acting relatively non-chalant about the whole thing. That one dude who's apparently been working there at least for the last 20 odd years - I wonder what he's feeling now. There were a few roaming television cameras asking people what they thought of the closing of the store and the general consensus was that it was the end of an era. But business is business. I'm happy that the the 15-metre spinning neon discs and the Sam's sign will remain due to Toronto city council approving the store and its signs with heritage designation. I'm wondering if new owners do move into the building, will they actually turn on the sign. Or will the city foot the electricity bill?

Unfortunately, my camera batteries died on me a few days ago and many of the things that I'd have wanted to take a photo of had been taken down over the last few days, but there's a wealth of evidence from other people on Flickr.

The Toronto Star encapsulates Sam The Record Man as what it was - a destination for music lovers.

The Toronto Star gets one Sam's employee's take on what it was like to work at the store.

Urban Hymns

I was never a huge fan of The Verve but the news of them reuniting is somehow exciting. Maybe it's the fact that their song 'Lucky Man' has seeped into my subsconscious after having hearing it in the movie "The Girl Next Door" . Or the fact that it's more 10 years after their 1993 debut "A Storm in Heaven" and nostalgia for that time period has in fact set in. Chromewaves takes a critical look at the reunion. I think I''ll be happy if the band just come back to Toronto and I get to see them perform "The Drugs Don't Work" live.

If you missed this year's Glastonbury Festival, then head over to NME who have created a one stop page to revisit this year's festival highlights.

The White Stripes played a surprise, free, brief set for the townfolk of Whitehorse this past Monday. How nice of Jack and Meg. And even nicer, Jack and Meg played a surprise gig in a Burnaby classroom(apparently filmed for a future DVD according to spectator Cayley Western)[via Just Keep Bloggin']. I wonder if Toronto can expect anything as cool as this prior to the band's July 5 date at the Molson Ampitheatre.

Snowsuit Sound has a couple of videos from yesterday's Rick White/Andre Ethier instore at Soundscapes. Watch Rick. Watch Andre.

It's come to my attention that the newest Matt Pond PA album entitled "Last Light" will be released through Polyvinyl on September 25 and even more exciting that there is a definite possibility of previous cellist Eve Miller joining the band for some live dates. If you hadn't already heard, their most recent cellist Dana Feder left the band - it seems like Matt Pond PA goes through cellist like some bands go through drummers. It had to be said. A few track's from the band's recently released EP "If You Want Blood" are currently streaming over at their MySpace. The band tours this fall.

Brooklyn Vegan has tour dates for John Vanderslice and Cloud Cult, which includes a date in Toronto at the Horseshoe Tavern on October 1.

New Model Army are at Lee's Palace on October 1.

It's been a few years since we last heard from The Raveonettes with the release of 2005's "Pretty In Black". No word on a new album, but the band does return to North American in October for a tour including a stop in Toronto for a show at Lee's Palace on October 14. There are some demos streaming at their MySpace that I presume will be on their next album.

Following up on The New Pornographers/Emma Pollock tour date I posted yesterday, Chromewaves confirms that the bill will arrive at the Phoenix in Toronto on October 20. Thanks kind sir.

So the Sam The Record Man building has been designated a heritage building by Toronto City Council. Apparently this means the building structure and the Sam The Record Man Sign will stay. It's going to be strange to look up and see the sign and then look through the window and not see CD's. Did anyone make it to the auction this morning?(Update: BlogTO and Torontoist were both at the auction and have commentary and some lovely photos.) I think I'm gonna try to take some photos of some of the autographed wall panels tomorrow, especially the autographed signature from Urge Overkill which reads "Sam,You'll Be A Woman Soon!".

Hello Operator, Can You Give Me Number Nine

Advertising really works. The White Stripes appear on so many magazines right now, it's crazy and it's actually motivated me to listen to my White Stripes CD's after letting them gather dust for the better part of the last 12 months. I particular recommend going back to "De Stijl" - awesome, awesome CD. I'm not usually concerned(at least consciously) about the fashion of the bands I listen to but, their cover photo for the current issue of Nylon, is in particular, dead sexy. Pitchfork has an interview with Jack White, and Chartattack has just posted part two of it's interview with Jack[read part one]. The band play Molson Ampitheatre in Toronto on July 5.

Just a reminder, Rick White and Andre Ethier are performing an instore tomorrow at Soundscapes at 6 pm. It's in support of Rick's new album "Memoreaper" and Andre's new album "On Blue Fog". I wonder if they'll be collaborating tomorrow. [via Stille Post and Soundscapes].

Montreal's Pony Up are back at the 'Shoe for a show on July 26, tickets $8.00.

Keep an eye on the Lee's Palace website as the tour page indicates that it's expecting a 80's post-punk invasion with TBA dates to come for New Model Army, English Beat, and Pere Ubu(I'd like to check them out).

And speaking of 80's post punk, The Cure will be back on the road this year, stopping in Toronto for a show on September 27 at Air Canada Centre. And if you care, the band has a new album coming this Fall.[via Billboard]

Brooklyn Vegan has Bloc Party tour dates, which include a September 28 date for the band at Ricoh Coliseum. I like Bloc Party but are they trying to break a record on how many times they can play Toronto within the span of a year and a half? I'm sure the kiddies will be happy at least. Actually, I was hoping they'd be added to the Toronto Virgin Festival lineup.

Exciting news from Beggars Group Canada whose website indicates that ex-Delgados' Emma Pollock and our own The New Pornographers will be at the Phoenix on October 13! Emma's new album "Watch The Fireworks" will be released in September through 4AD. A few tracks from the album are currently streaming over at her MySpace. Update: Hold off on that Toronto date above - the Beggars Group Canada website has Emma and The New Pornographers listed as ALSO being in Montreal and Calgary on the October 13. Huh? I'm sure this all will get worked out.

I Am Fuel, You Are Friends has a remix of Feist's "1234" available for download.

As you can see, I modified the sidebar just a tad using what rudimentary HTML skills I have. It's a wonder what a 'new coat of paint' can do.

Sound of Success

concert review: A Northern Chorus, Jenn Grant and The Night Painters @ Horseshoe Tavern(Toronto, Ontario), June 15, 2007





Considering all the times I've mentioned singer-songwriter Halifax-by-way-of-PEI's Jenn Grant(as far back as September 2005), I'd be totally remiss if I didn't mention Jenn Grant's recent CD release party(for her debut album "Orchestra For The Moon") at the Horseshoe Tavern last Friday night. I won't let blind admiration affect my judgement of the actual show - it wasn't perfect. Comparing Jenn's 11 pm set to A Northern Chorus' headling set(and how subsequently the crowd thinned) it was obvious most people were there to see Jenn that night - it helped that she had a lot of press last week including in Eye Weekly, JAM, and The Globe and Mail. Not at capacity but decent enough, and only to draw larger crowds in the future. I was disappointed in the sound mix which I thought was unnecessarily loud, all the more peculiar since during Jenn's banter she mentioned this was the first time she actually had a sound guy work the set, with bandmate Sean MacGIllivray going so far as to have the audience applaud the sound guy. However, that aside her set showcased songs off her debut album showing why she is one of Canada's up-and-comers. A little help from some friends brought the songs to life. Her band included The Heavy Blinkers' Dave Christensen's twinkling keyboards/glockenspiel, Jason Burns on drums, Sean MacGIllivray on bass guitar/background vox, and surprise guest Toronto's violin extraordinaire Julie Penner adding her own flavourable arrangements. Also Jenn had a few friends help out on background vox at times including fellow east coaster Tanya Davis who had performed her own set earlier on in the night. I missed her set but one of the highlights of the evening was Tanya's sublime spoken word interlude during the performance of Jenn's "Dreamer". Dressed in a white summery skirt-top, black leggings, strawberry-blond and rosey-cheeked, Jenn exuded her wonderful east-coast charm. Obviously surprised by the turnout, she was refreshingly modest and appreciative about her rising star. Thankfully, Jenn and her band The Night Painters had what it took to deliver the musical goods. Excursions into pop, folk, and country, with Jenn's jazz-inflected vocals combined for a thoroughly enjoyable set.

While I've only ever been casually familiar with Hamilton, ON's A Northern Chorus, I must say that they really impressed me last Friday night. Plaintive vocals(Stu Livingstone & Pete Hall, with added background vox from their cellist), guitars that alternately shimmered then crashed, and generous amounts of cello combined into intricate, spacious indie-post-rock. The one welcome facet to their music is the fact that their recent material are more song-based, concise(even up-tempo at times) yet still maintaining an atmospheric quality in their overall sound(check out songs off this year's "The Millions Too Many" over at their MySpace). It's a shame the crowd thinned out just before the beginning of their set. A band this good that's practically in Toronto's backyard(Hamilton, ON) definitely deserve more local recognition.

MySpace: Jenn Grant
MySpace: A Northern Chorus

Easy Tiger

I Am Fuel, You Are Friends has Ryan Adams' session he performed for World Cafe(on June 15, 2007) for download. She also mentions that Ryan had a torn ligament and wasn't playing guitar. Ryan Adams and The Cardinals perform an intimate show in Toronto on June 22 at Enwave Theatre. Anyone get tickets to this? I wonder if Ryan'll be playing guitar.

Via The Music Slut, and now Pitchfork, the next Magnetic Fields album is planned for release in 2008. An update at the band's website further says that "the exact release date and album title will be announced shortly, as well as information on other Stephin Merritt projects."

NME's coverage of Daft Punk's show at the Wireless Festival in the UK is making me strongly reconsider buying tickets for their show at (the crappy)Arrow Hall on August 5.

NPR has had some cool interview/live sessions recently from Wilco(listen here) and Sloan(listen here).

Aversion has an interview with The Long Blondes, plus news of The Go Team signing to Sub Pop and news of Lily Allen giving up blogging in an effort to keep out of the tabloids. Good luck.

A review of the A Northern Chorus/Jenn Grant show at Horseshoe Tavern on June 15, 2007, still to come. It's been 4 days since my last post...please forgive me.

Leave The Biker, Break His Heart

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Giddy Stratospheres

concert review: The Long Blondes, Nicole Atkins and The Sea @ Lee's Palace(Toronto, Ontario), June 11, 2007



Monday night, Lee's Palace played host to Sheffield, UK's The Long Blondes' Toronto debut. While I don't think it was a sold-out show it was a more than respectable size crowd especially by the time The Long Blondes hit the stage. It's with a little regret that I didn't get to Lee's Palace in time for the start of opener New Jersey's Nicole Atkins and The Sea's opening set. Of all nights, Lee's Palace actually started the show on time(around (9:15 pm I was told). I managed to catch Nicole's last three songs and above all was impressed with her dynamic vocals and her versatility of musical styles. I picked up her EP "Bleeding Diamonds"(at the merch table directly from Nicole, who was nice enough to chat with virtually everyone who came up to her...I asked her why her NXNE appearance was cancelled she told and she mentioned there was some sort of mix-up). After having listened to it, I'm pretty sure now that the song I'd walk in during her set was "War Torn", a torchy, slow-burner that crescendos near the end into a wonderful guitar melody before finishing off on a quiet note with Nicole's last few lyrics. I remember a subsequent song being more in a general alt pop-rock direction that reminded me of say Juliana Hatfield.



I rarely download album leaks but I felt compelled to give The Long Blondes' debut "Someone To Drive You Home"(out in the UK since last year?) a listen after reading about them many times and being reeled in by the songs at their MySpace. Maybe it was the drawing that adorns their album cover of a sultry blond wearing a French beret leaning on red car that attracted me. I dunno. Downloading their album did have partly to do with that at the time, the album wasn't yet released domestically and I didn't want to pay import prices for it. The album was recently released domestically and includes a 2nd disc which contains 4 extra tracks and the video for "Once and Never Again" - I picked up my copy at the show.

So what of their performance? Lead vocalist is obviously the centre of attention, with her jet black-hair and wearing matching coloour pencil-skirt and the crowd adored her as she struck out poses like a model on a runway. While the band was musically competent for the pop, post-punk sounds for their songs for which they performed, there was a difference in performance energy between the different band members. Kate and the two male members of the band[on guitar and drums] were the most energetic but the ladies[on bass guitar and keyboards] were much less animated except for a few grins here and there. Given the music's obviously danceability and it's ability to get the crowd involved(there were singalongs and handclaps) it's a little disappointing to see half the band energetic and the other half aloof. Although, I must admit I didn't think the ladies weren't NOT into the show, just perhaps more reserved and shy. That aside, I don't think most of the crowd necessarily noticed - too busy dancing, singing, or clapping. Highpoints of the show would be the rousing "Lust In The Movies" as it declared 'Edie Sedgwick, Anna Karenina, Arlene Dahl. I just want to be a sweetheart.' and the vibrant, bouncy pop of "Once and Never Again"(which prompted a bout of crowd pogoing) which the band performed towards the end of the set. The band's greatest achievement that night - making this guy in his thirties(and probably many others there) feel like a teenager all over again.

And thankfully Kate Jackson didn't remind me of Gwen Stefani(not that I have anything against Gwen.) Track back to Fluxblog(and read some of the comments especially).

Chartattack gives a favourable review of The Long Blondes' set.

Lcanthropy has some photos from The Long Blondes' set as does inventor_77 and Songs Without Words.

Update: Chromewaves reviews the show eloquently and also has a bunch of Nicole Atkins & Long Blondes links for your pleasure. Metamorphstuff has a few more photos from the show.

YouTube: The Long Blondes - "Giddy Stratospheres" (live @ Lee's Palace - June 11, 2007 - 1 min 56 sec) (courtesy aNewCanadian)

MySpace: Nicole Atkins
MySpace: The Long Blondes

NXNE Wrap-Up

NXNE is over. Overall, it had some good and or interesting acts to check out but due to overlapping set times, I couldn't check out everyone I'd wanted to see. I got to see The Soundtrack of Our Lives on Thursday June 7(see my Friday June 8 post) and I managed to use my NXNE wristband to see Fountains of Wayne and The Broken West at Lee's Palace yesterday night(review to follow). Overall, I got my money's worth. Here's my rundown of NXNE on Friday and Saturday:

Friday June 8, 2007

9 pm - The Pantones @ Savannah

A sparse crowd was in attendance to catch Lansing, MI's The Pantones early set. Their country rock was reminiscent of the brighter moments of Son Volt and Wilco with songs at times spotlighting prominent horns and electric piano. They proclaim their sound Americana Indie Pop and actually reminded me a lot of Irish band The Thrills. The Pantones were tight and had a few standout tracks during the set. Musically enjoyable set, but they seemed somewhat redundant as a live act considering they had virtually no stage presence. Maybe if there were more people in the club that might have helped.

10:30 pm - Au Revoir Simone/Favorite Sons/Voxtrot @ Sneaky Dee's

Brooklyn, NY's Au Revoir Simone opened the show for a crowd that had been anxiously waiting in line at least a half an hour or more. Doors were suppose to be at 10 pm but only started to move about half an hour or more. They have an interesting concept - three keyboards and three vocalists. As expected, the female trio blended keyboard arrangements and vocal parts into a lovely pop concoction. Electronic Casio rhythms provided a percussive element to songs like "Sad Song" which were reminiscent to Postal Service. Heather and Erika were the demure(and leggy) ones but the bespectacled Annie was more energetic as she rocked out on her keyboard at times.

Favourite Sons were next. C'mon people they're not that bad(most of the reviews I've read didn't like them). I'm not particularly a fan of lead vocalist Ken Griffin's vocals(sounding sort of like Jeff Martin at times) but some of the rock instrumentation was solid and even creative, and never evolved into wankery. Not my cup of tea, though. Although, you have to give credit to lead vocalist Ken Griffin taking on a heckler with a lingering, confident middle finger as he continued to sing.

Voxtrot. Their first show back last year at the same venue was better. This one seemed rushed. I dunno. My feet were tired although maybe I was just waiting for "The Start of Something" to perk me up(which it did). However, by that point the show was almost over. Hopefully they'll play a larger venue next time. Blacking Out The Friction went to the early show and loved Voxtrot's set.

Saturday June 9, 2007

3 pm - The Diodes @ Yonge Dundas Square

I spent too much time down the street at Sam The Record Man and when I got to Yonge Dundas Square I only managed to catch the last two songs of the set. However, I got to hear "Tired Of Waking Up Tired" live and it sounded fantastic. They even brought up a few of the girls of Toronto's famed female punk act B-Girls to sing backup.

9 pm - Terror Lake @ The Boat

The first time I saw Terror Lake was in June 2006 at Rancho Relaxo. This spunky young Toronto trio are still purveyors of a sound that owes nods to The Pixies, Sonic Youth and Sleater Kinney, with a little surf influence at times thrown in for good measure. Their female drummer also handled vocal duties while the guys thrashed away on guitars(no bass guitar). Wonderfully youthful, if a little loud on the eardrums. I think one of the band members mothers was videotaping the performance for posterity.

10 pm - The Vandelles @ Rancho Relaxo

A stifling hot Rancho Relaxo played host to NYC's The Vandelles. The band is made up of two guys(on lead vocals/guitar &second guitar) and two females(bass guitar/tambourine & drums). Their MySpace lists a variety of influences in their sound but the first item on that list is really all that matters - Jesus and Mary Chain. They sound, more accurately, like early period Jesus and Mary Chain. I'm always up for the JAMC and I thought The Vandelles were terrific but I wonder how far they can go as a band in terms of mainstream(or even indie) success with a sound that's so heavily indebted to another band. We already have The Raveonettes(and even they've diversified their sound). I wish The Vandelles well in the future. The band provides a wrap-up of their NXNE experience over at their MySpace blog.

11 pm - The Coast @ The Boat

Back at The Boat, Toronto's The Coast performed a set that included a bunch of new songs. The new songs are less atmospheric, and spacious which is somewhat of a disappointment since that aspect of their sound was so attractive. An upbeat, more direct pop influence pervades some of the new material and I wonder if Morrissey(whom the bass guitarist was wearing a t-shirt of) was an influence. How the new songs sound on record eventually, well, we'll see. It was a well-received set although considering how small The Boat is, it should have been packed to the rafters. A respectable turnout, nonetheless.

12 pm - waiting in line @ Horseshoe Tavern to see You Say Party! We Say Die!

Didn't get in. Oh well, I tried.

1 am - In-Flight Safety @ Horseshoe Tavern

If Toronto's The Coast had east coast cousins, then they'd definitely be Halifax, NS' In-Flight Saftey. In-Flight Safety perform a similar brand of atmospheric, sensitive rock music but while The Coast take their cues from more classic influences like The Verve, The Smiths and U2, I always thought In-Flight Safety sounded a lot like Coldplay(in a good way). In this world, you'd think one Coldplay is enough, but In-Flight Safety hold their own quite nicely. Holed up in the confines of Horseshoe Tavern, I realized In-Flight Saftey are destined for arenas. Their spacious pop-rock sound, which is carried quite capably by the emotive vocals of the lanky John Mullane), begs for a larger acoustic environment. While a train of people had filed out of the Horseshoe prior to In-Flight Safety's set it appeared that just as many people made it back in for their set. I can only hope that IFS make it to the big time because for the most part Canadian arena-rock right now makes me puke(I won't bother to name the guilty).

Here's a few photos I took this weekend during NXNE(more to come):

Sister Surround

concert review: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives (as part of NXNE) @ Jeff Healey's Roadhouse(Toronto, Ontario), June 7, 2007



Those mighty Swedes The Soundtrack Of Our Lives played the first of three NXNE shows yesterday evening at Jeff Healey's Roadhouse. About half an hour before their set it was a surprisingly light crowd but come their set it filled in nicely. Burly lead vocalist Ebbot Lundberg, wearing some sort of ceremonial gown, might be the furthest thing you could imagine as a frontperson but on the other hand it's refreshing and after one song you can't even imagine someone else up their. Their rock n' roll riffage and psychedlic overtones were quite satisfying conjuring images of The Who, Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, and AC DC but in such a refreshingly melodic manner. They played selections from a cross-section of their albums including their breakout "Behind The Music", plus selections from "Origin Volume I", "Welcome to the Infant Freebase" and "Extended Revelation for the Psychic Weaklings of Western Civilization". Their seemed to be a lot of photographers in attendance, and the more the better to capture frontperson Ebbot Lundberg's emotive personality. Guitarist Mattias Bärjed was also a joy to watch, dressed in red jeans and a red 'The Who' tour jacket, as he broke out all the rock guitar moves. Pete Townsend, eat your heart out. Highly recommended - check 'em out tonight at The Silver Dollar and then again on Saturday back at Jeff Healey's Roadhouse.

Stay tuned for more photos.

MySpace: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives

Baby, We'll Be Fine

Tuesday's show at The Opera House featuring The National was arguably the best show of the year. It was my favourite show of the year so far and that's saying a lot given that I'm a relatively newbie to the band. So if I wasn't necessarily singing along like some persons I noticed, I was feeling every bit as delirious as they were. Stay tuned to this space - I quite possibly will elaborate further on the show but I will say that lead vocalist Matt Berninger is every bit caught up in the moment(with a stage presence that reminds me of a less flamboyant Morrissey, but trading in Morrissey's fey vocals for the deep rumble of say Leonard Cohen) and he gave me the impression that every moment he was on stage he was having the time of his life.

Check out Torontoist and Chromewaves for terrific reviews of the show.

alucardx has the set list.

MySpace: The National

Yawny at the Apocalypse

According to Pitchfork, troubadour/violinst Andrew Bird will announce more US dates for this September. Hopefully he'll throw in a Toronto date. On June 8 he'll perform a live session for BBC 6 Music's Gideon Coe(live sessions are usually at about 1 hour and 40 minutes into the program - I think it's on around 6:40 am(or is that 5:40 am?)EST on June 8.

Chartattack spoke to Sweden's The Soundtrack Of Our Lives about recording and touring and the current state of Swedish rock music. They play not one, not two, but three shows during this year's NXNE as follows:

June 7 @ Healey's Roadhouse
June 8 @ Silver Dollar
June 9 @ Healey's Roadhouse

I saw a poster at Sam The Record Man advertising a gig at the Reverb on June 14 that'll include Rob Smith of Bristol, UK's Smith and Mighty. Rob has a new project called Smith and Whitney. If you're not familiar with Smith and Mighty, well they're sort of forefathers to the whole Bristol trip hop scene which spawned more familiar bands like Massive Attack and Portishead. This show could be interesting.

Tickets for The Cowboy Junkies' July 3rd date at Live @ The Courthouse in Toronto quietly went on sale yesterday. Sorry, I didn't mention it earlier, but I just wanted to make sure that I got a ticket for myself before it sold out. We're all selfish at one point. I bought mine through tickmaster.ca and it set me back about $31. But it's well worth it in my opinion to see the 'Junkies perform in an intimate venue, and also considering that it seems like they haven't play a hometown gig in ages. As I said back in February, I vowed to see the 'Junkies this time around no matter what the cost.

Newest Arts & Crafts signees, UK's Los Campesinos play the Horseshoe Tavern on August 7. They're also playing the Hillside Festival in Guelph, ON on July 27.

Au Revoir Simone return for yet another gig in Toronto, this time headlining their own show, on August 15 at Lee's Palace[via ticketmaster.ca]. Tickets are already on sale.

Folkie Suzanne Vega has a gig at The Mod Club on September 26[via Emerge].

Note: For some reason, Blogger doesn't want to publish this on June 6, so I've dated this post June 5 in the meantime. Weird.