Toronto Unplugged

Singer/songwriter Beck and overall funky dude BECK will be headlining a pretty funky October Toronto show. Beck will be supported by New York’s MGMT – who themselves are creating huge buzz and a loyal following, especially here in Toronto. The show will go down on October 5th at the Sound Academy.
Beck is touring in support of his new album, the critically acclaimed Modern Guilt. The album contains 10 new songs, and with the exception of last year’s Grammy-nominated, digital-only single “Timebomb”, Modern Guilt is the first new material Beck has written since the prolific stretch that produced 2005’s …read more

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Virgin Festival Toronto returns to Toronto Island Park on September 6th and 7th.
Day One of Virgin Festival features…FOO FIGHTERS, BLOC PARTY, THE KOOKS, THE FRATELLIS, AGAINST ME!, MGMT, WINTERSLEEP, CONSTANTINES, SPIRITUALIZED and more!
The Foo Fighters…
Having commemorated their tenth anniversary with a year-plus run commencing with a double studio album hailed by the New York Times as “an unexpected magnum opus,” a sold out arena tour built on that first disc’s rock foundation followed by a toned down and intimate theater trek that highlighted the softer side showcased on that record’s second half and capped off by a headlining gig at …read more

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It’ll be a big night in Toronto tomorrow night…Radiohead is here…Radiohead is here.
For many, this is the concert event of the summer. Fresh off an innovative release of their most recent album – In Rainbows – Radiohead will marvel, confuse, dazzle and amaze tomorrow night at the Molson Amphitheatre.
Don’t have tickets? Unfortunately, tomorrow nights show is not a ‘pay what you want’ and tickets are sold out, so if you’re planning on getting scalper tickets, bring both of your wallets.
But one thing will be certain…this show will be worth every penny.
New York’s Grizzly Bear will open the show …read more

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The English Beat will be playing an exclusive show at Toronto’s Festival of Beer tomorrow night at Historic Fort York.
The Beat (known in North America as The English Beat) are a 2 Tone ska revival band founded in England in 1978. Their songs fuse ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock, and their lyrics deal with themes of love, unity and sociopolitical topics.
The Beat released three albums: I Just Can’t Stop It (1980), Wha’ppen? (1981) and Special Beat Service (1982), and a string of singles, including “Mirror in the Bathroom”, ” Too Nice To Talk To”, “Can’t Get Used …read more

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It’s a random week in gigs next week in Toronto. There is hard alternative rock, followed by a nostalgic punk legend, next is a little Southern (by way of Detroit) rock, rounding it out with California acoustic pop.
Plan your week…it’s random, but there are some good shows to check out right after the long weekend.
Tuesday August 5th
NINE INCH NAILS, Deerhunter: Air Canada Centre, $59.50-$69.50
Wednesday August 6th
Iggy Pop & The Stooges: Massey Hall, $59.50-$99.50
Kid Rock & Lynyrd Skynyrd: Molson Amphitheatre, $25.50-$75
Matt Costa: Phoenix, all ages, $20

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Among the many emerging acts at Hillside in Guelph this weekend, The Burning Hell brings their indie folk rock to the stage on Sunday.
Taking its name from a religious tract, The Burning Hell has been slithering around in the muck in one form or another since the dawn of the millennium. Fronted by the moderately agoraphobic songwriter and occasional history teacher Mathias Kom on electric ukulele, The Burning Hell currently features between one and twelve people, depending on the night.
If you don’t catch The Burning Hell at Hillside, they are riding out an intense touring schedule – The Burning Hell …read more

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The Beaches International Jazz Festival wraps up tonight. One of Toronto’s most popular festivals, the Jazz Fest offers variety and diversity of music within (and outside) the realm of jazz.
StreetFest is a Beaches International Jazz Festival original event showcasing the finest in Big Band, Swing, Dixieland, Smooth, Post-Bop, Afro-Cuban, Fusion, Funk, R&B and Soul sounds that Canada has to offer. Upwards of 50 bands entertain you along a closed 2 km stretch of Queen Street East! It’s an annual 3-afternoon into evening pilgrimage for close to a million folks who come out to groove to the music and soak …read more

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Drawing on diverse backgrounds, Vampire Weekend experiments and explores the intersections of the things they love: African guitar music, the Western classical canon, hazy memories of summers in Cape Cod, winters in Upper Manhattan, reggaeton and everything else that would become part of Vampire Weekend.
Vampire Weekend returns to Toronto – their last visit being a much hyped packed house at the Horseshoe Tavern. As part of the Rogers Picnic, Vampire Weekend will take the stage at 4pm – after Dizzee Rascal and just before Animal Collective.
Already featured on many lists of who to watch for in 2008, Vampire …read more

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After a one year hiatus, Edgefest returned to the Toronto summer calendar with a very impressive showing.
Highlights included the return of the Stone Temple Pilots, an energetic set by Sam Roberts and a killer performance through a massive downpour by The Bravery.
In my opinion…the more big acts coming to Toronto the better – so welcome back Edgefest and kudos on a strong lineup.
Check out Jam’s review… 
If you were there, give us your highlights.
Image Credit:  Electrobus

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The Black Crowes rolled into Massey Hall on Saturday night as part of their Euphoria or Bust Tour.
The reviews of the show have been pouring in. Texts, emails, chats with friends and colleagues have all alluded to the fact that while it is cool to go see the Black Crowes live , it’s a fairly ordinary show.
The band has been at it a long time and for the most part, they are a tight band when they perform, but they also have the tendency to coast a bit. There is no denying that the band enjoy what …read more

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