Toronto Unplugged

The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) is a group of some of the best independent music stores in America. CIMS maintains an ongoing list of the top album sales from these record stores in America.. This CIMS Chart is always an interesting reflection of what is selling in the great record stores across the land.
Released just last week (on the 22nd) Tokyo Police Club’s new album Elephant Shell has broken through and occupied the 11th spot on this diverse and top quality list. The Toronto band has always attracted attention with their high energy shows, their …read more

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The Coast is quickly becoming one of Toronto’s most talked about Indie sensations. This track The Lines Are Cut lets you in on the buzz.

The Salingers are another Toronto band getting some pre-hype. The band is working hard to get a sharp new release out. If their Myspace tracks are any indication, this band will be big. Standout track: 2025
Swedish rockers The Hives recently challenged the Swedish players of the Vancouver Canucks to a game of hockey at General Motors Place. Word is that the band didn’t have a goalie, so they used build …read more

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Luke Doucet’s latest album Blood’s Too Rich has hit #1 on both ChartAttack and Earshot National college radio charts. The album has been getting rave reviews across the country and is an early 2008 favorite.
 
Quotes on the album…
 
A “landmark album”…”fearless guitar work”…”dangerously personal and transparently allusive songwriting”. (FOUR STARS) – Toronto Star, Disc of the Week
 
“For fans of Doucet’s stylishly robust guitar work, the album is a welcome homecoming.”
- Globe & Mail
 
Luke Doucet is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He writes and performs both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock band …read more

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Historically, the Junction is a neighbourhood in Toronto that derives its name from a junction of four railway lines in the area known as the West Toronto Diamond. The centre of the area is Dundas Street West and Keele Streets.  This Junction eventually became know as the City of Toronto.
Locally, The Junction is a band you should check out.  Start listening to them to become familiar before their gig on Feb 2 at the Shoe.  Their song Components of Four may have made to your speakers as it got some decent rotations on various broadcasts and podcasts.
Here’s the skinny…The Junction …read more

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Two Thousand and Seven was the spark to the tinder for the end of the music industry as we know it – 2007 was the meltdown.
Musicians, bands and management started realizing the full potential of the digital and Internet soundscape. They started realizing that the current model just doesn’t make sense anymore and began exploring options.
Stars, Prince and Radiohead wielded the biggest digital axe, but rising bands also took a toll by releasing, promoting and selling music on their own through a very simple formula – lots of hard work. Is there a valuable lesson …read more

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This past year saw truly good musicians and bands break out in the city. This is always refreshing to me…when bands that you’ve seen in small bars and venues (that you always knew were great) start getting major buzz and recognition and can watch the success unfold.
2008 will carry and continue this trend of good (if not great) bands breaking out – the momentum of great music and hungry bands in the city is too strong to steer otherwise.
The Assistants could very well be one of our next bands to break. According to their Myspace page, they describe …read more

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I was lucky enough to catch Matt Costa live on November 29th at Cowboys in London.
Costa is currently supporting Bedouin Soundclash on their cross Canada tour and he adds a great acoustic feel to the bill, which also features Burlington, Ontario punk rockers The St. Alvia Cartel.
After St. Alvia finished their short set, Costa took to the stage with bandmates Mitchell Townsend (guitar), Jacob Sahagen (keyboards), Harris Pittman (bass) and James Fletcher (drums) to provide a folksy vibe with songs from his 2006 release Songs We Sing and to crank out a few tracks from his recent Oct 2007 release …read more

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