Toronto Unplugged

A good number of years ago I had read about this UK band that Mick Jones from the Clash had produced. They were a little known band called The Libertines and they had a little known lead singer named Pete Dougherty. The band was about to release their album in North America so they weren’t on the radar yet. I downloaded a few tunes and really liked their sound. Once I saw that they were playing The Opera House, I circled the date and marked it a must-see.
A small group of us were grabbing drinks at …read more

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I’m hoping there is some debate on this one, because I’ve heard tons of good and bad rants on this next venue.
Lee’s Palace is Lee’s Palace, it’s that simple.
Lee’s is a legendary concert venue in Toronto. The place is dark, it sometimes smells, the acoustics can be a bit high on the treble and the servers are a notch down from pleasant. But this is one of my favorite venues in the city. All of the above make up the character of Lee’s Palace. I thoroughly enjoy the sight lines, the acoustics, the intimacy and the …read more

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Here are MapleMusic’s Top 10 Sellers for the week…

(Cowboy Junkies)

Cowboy Junkies – Trinity Revisited CD/DVD
Hayden – In Field & Town CD
Tegan and Sarah – Under Feet Like Ours CD
Sproll – Turn On Your Radio CD
Halflife Records – Tunnels & Pathways CD
Loreena McKennitt – Nights From The Alhambra CD/DVD
Sloan – Keeping The Tour Alive DVD
Luke Doucet – Blood’s Too Rich CD
Sultans Of String – Luna CD
Joel Plaskett Emergency – Ashtray Rock CD

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Believe it or not, people are still buying albums and thank you to those who are in that minority.  Record solid material, press it and people will still shell out money for it.
Elite company here…Radiohead and Anne Murray???

Here are the top 10 albums sales in Toronto for the week ending January 10th:

Radiohead – In Rainbows
Alicia Keys – As I Am
Feist – Reminder
Rihanna – Good Girl Gone Bad
Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
Anne Murray – Duets, Friends & Legends

I can’t help but think back to that segment on Sesame Street called, “One of these things does not belong here…”
That’s right Rihanna, …read more

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If some of the bands that have been on the scene of late made resolutions…and if I somehow knew what they were…and if they were resolutions that I wish lacked longevity and were in fact broken…than these would be them.
Picture the Broken Social Scene town meeting just before New Years,
“This year folks, we are going to collectively commit to no side projects.”
A hush of silence.
Some of the best albums of this past year in Canadian music have been Broken Social Scene sides.
I was saying to my wife a few days ago…I wish I was around for the days of bands …read more

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Here is what is on the concert horizon for this week. Kate Nash at the Mod Club is a decent start to an interesting 7 days.
Mon Jan 7th – Kate Nash – Mod Club
Tue Jan 8th – Run With The Kittens – Cameron House
Tues Jan 8th – Walk off the Earth – Horseshoe Tavern
Wed Jan 9th – Nada Surf in-store performance, Sonic Boom at 7:15 pm
Wed Jan 9th – Recovery Child – The Rivoli
Fri Jan 11th – Latefallen – Opera House
Sat Jan 12th – The Vapids – The Kathedral

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CBC Radio 3 handed out their Bucky Awards yesterday. Full stream of the Podcast can be found here. This is one of the Top streamed music programs on the Internet.
CBC Radio 3 has a broad understanding and grasp of the music scene in Canada. Their Indie reach and influence makes it a true promoter and advocate of music culture in our cities and towns.
Back to the Bucky’s. I love how the winner of each award is most often reached on the phone to get their reactions – winning categories like Best Lyrics, Best Sweatin’ to the …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 just in…
I just got an email from Run with the Kittens manager Nick informing me of the
following…hilarious:
We’re in the top 20 for 2007’s “Song of the Year” on the Red Peters Comedy Music Hour, a real funny show on Howard Stern 101, on Sirius Satellite Radio. The Kittens tune “Let’s make F*^k” from our first record is being considered for the top spot.
Voting has already started, and will continue until January 15th at 5pm EST.
It’s easy to vote, just click here scroll down, check out the (lack of) competion, and then vote for us!!! We’re way funnier and filthier …read more

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Office holiday parties can be pretty lame, but throw the following into the mix and you’re sure to create a killer shaker: a variety of alcoholic beverages, some incredibly talented musicians/bands, politically charged artists, half a dozen strong and weird personalities, a band no one likes, a few legends and a chainsaw. This is our recipe for the best holiday party ever. How to make it happen?
Here are the Top 10 Musicians/Bands to bring to your office holiday party

Greg Keelor: Get a few drinks into him, hand him a guitar and he’ll take care of …read more

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