Toronto Unplugged

After a three year recording hiatus – during which he played two historic concert series in NYC and LA devoting one evening each to his Jam, Style Council, and solo catalogs, and earned Lifetime Achievement honors at the 2007 Brit Awards, among other highlights – Paul Weller returns on July 22 with 22 Dreams, his ninth solo album and the most ambitious of his career.
22 Dreams is not a return to form. It is not “Weller’s best record since [fill in your favorite album here.]” It is a complete flowering of every musical impulse this artistic polymath has previously …read more

Comments Off

b5media’s Music Channel is pumped to announce the launch of two new blogs by two very talented bloggers.
Launched just in time to provide exclusive coverage of SXSW in Austin Texas, new b5media blog Austin Sound Check has quickly become a major draw for the channel. Austin Sound Check will cover the infuencial and breaking music scene of Austin Texas. The blog is headed by Austin Music specialist Ana Wolken.
A Texan by birth, but St. Louis-raised, Ana Wolken has been in and around the Austin music scene since returning to the Lonestar State in 2000. You are just …read more

1 Comment

Foxboro Hot Tubs Fans….
Foxboro Hot Tubs new single, “The Pedestrian“, from their upcoming full length album, is now available for download at on their website courtesy of Jingle Town Records. You can download the new single at 320k MP3s; the highest quality available, direct from the band.
The Band will be announcing tour dates shortly and there will be some cool shows in Toronto.
While the band’s history is, as yet, unknown, they are comprised of the members of Green Day who are, according to rumors, performing “garage” music under the side project name.
Gotta love this new wave of music promotion. …read more

Comments Off

It took a blogger in Austin Texas during SXSW to introduce me to The Cliks.  Finding out I was from Toronto, the lead blogger for Austin Sound Check indicated that one of her favorite bands was from our humble abode – a band called The Cliks who ’sound a bit like early Pretenders.’
The Cliks are known for their blazing, uncompromising live performances.  Their brand of rock is a throwback to what is fresh again.   In this same breath,The Cliks will be opening  for The Cult at The Sound academy tonight (April 12).
Late ticket pickups can be sought after here.
The Cliks …read more

1 Comment

The 2008 Juno Gala Awards celebrated honored two of Toronto’s favorites – our most recent breakout superstar Feist and legendary folk heroes Blue Rodeo. The gala, held on April 5, 2008 in Calgary, was an exclusive ticketed event to present 30 winners with Juno Awards in various categories.
Feist’s two awards included Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year.
Blue Rodeo also came away from last nights ceremony with two awards for Adult Alternative Album of the Year and Video of the Year.
For the rest of the highlights, visit b5media’s Media Scribbler covering the Juno’s live.
Image Source:    …read more

Comments Off

In the true spirit of Canada, the Juno Awards weekend features the Juno Cup. The Juno Cup is a hockey game featuring Canadian musicians and some top hockey legends.
Word is, that in the past, there has been some friendly trash talking between the musicians and the players prior to the game. Hockey (and Maple Leaf) legend Doug Gilmour might be the catalyst to the talking,
“We can’t take it easy on them. On the bus ride over they were already chirping,” said Gilmour. “We’ll have to have a little discussion with them on the ice.”
However, Blue Rodeo’s …read more

Comments Off

(Image Credit:  Juno Awards)
b5media will be attending and covering the 2008 Juno Awards being held this weekend in Calgary, Alberta. The awards celebrate Canadian Music, and the weekend consist of  events, concerts and in true Canadian fashion, the Juno Cup – a hockey game between Canadian musicians and hockey legends.
The b5media representatives at the Juno Awards are Arieanna Schweber and Jeanne Dupuis.
All live coverage will appear on MediaScribbler, including exclusive photos.
For more about the events of this weekend, check out the Juno’s website.

Comments Off

(Image Source: JunoFest)There will be a Six Shooter Records showcase as part of JunoFest.
Luke Doucet & Justin Rutledge will play The Palomino Club in Calgary on Friday Night (April 4th) Rutledge will hit the stage at Midnight and Doucet will follow at 1am.
Tickets for the show are $10 or you can get a multiple access wristband for $30. Good deal.
Nominated for his sophomore record, the critically acclaimed “The Devil On a Bench in Stanley Park” (2006) Rutledge is being honoured alongside Corb Lund, Jill Barber, David Francey & Oh Susanna.
To bolster the outstanding nod, Justin will release …read more

Comments Off

Alright fellow guitarists, Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo wants fans to “come up with some chords, yo,” for a song tentatively titled 80’s Rock.  
Rivaldinho (Cuomo) will be using YouTube in an attempt to collaborate with songwriters online.
Rivers released a solo album in December 2007 entitled Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo, which featured home demos that Cuomo had recorded from 1992-2007.
So here is a plan for tonight…indulge in some libation and help write the next hit for Cuomo.  If all goes well, maybe you too can be a recluse rock star.

Comments Off

Earshot Media is happy to announce that The Raconteurs‘ new album, Consolers of the Lonely, will be available for download through www.theraconteurs.com starting at 12 am EST tonight. At midnight EST you will be able to visit the site, choose your territory and download the album in a matter of minutes.
Don’t want to download? You can pick up the album at your favorite retailer starting tomorrow.
The Raconteurs pioneering ‘fans first’ concept allows everyone to experience the album at the same time. Check it out…it is sure to be a solid album.

1 Comment