Toronto Unplugged

Liam Gallagher Attacked at V-Fest Toronto

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:28:42 +0000

Liam Gallagher, who you may know from Oasis, was attacked while on stage at the V Festival in Toronto. He suffered three broken ribs following the assault.

image credit: Pacific Coast News

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Secret Broadcast Wins Raod to Virgin Fest

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:41:55 +0000

Secret Broadcast have won the Road to V contest. As the top vote getters in the contest, the band will play Virgin Festival on Sunday September 7th and an exclusive after party. Gibson will hook the band up with a tour bus for touring around Toronto and a whack of Gibson gear.

Secret Broadcast formed in early 2006 after Matt Lightstone moved from Toronto to Calgary and met Bryan Craig and John de Jesus. Together they started writing songs that combined elements of rock, funk, pop and old-school punk which garnered them an eclectic mix of comparisons such as The Rapture, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Pixies, U2 and The Police.

The band has built a reputation for their energetic live shows and as a result has been invited to perform at various music festivals including North-by-Northeast (NXNE), Vans Warped Tour, Canadian Music Week (CMW), New Music West (NMW), JunoFest and Virgin Festival Calgary.

The debut EP Plastic Fantastic was produced by Zuckerbaby’s Reed Shimozawa and was released independently on August 25th 2007.

Image Credit: Secret Broadcast Myspace

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On Sale: Beck and MGMT in Toronto

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:38:32 +0000

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 platinum Guero and 2006’s universally acclaimed The Information.

Modern Guilt is a tightly assembled group of songs that range in lyrical tone from introspection and social commentary to off the cuff wordplay and lighthearted humour. Musically, the album’s tracks vacillate between economy and experimentation, hybrid and pop classicism, while consistently manifesting Beck and producer Danger Mouse’s shared interest in psych-rock, folk, electronic minimalism and orchestration.

MGMT….40 years after The Summer of Love (and 30 years after The Summer of Hate), MGMT is celebrating the grand re-opening of the third eye of the world with Oracular Spectacular, the duo’s much-anticipated first full-length album, an enigmatic and prophetic collection of hallucinatory sounds and hook-riddled pop tones for the new millennium. MGMT is: Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, two psychic pilgrims whose paths first intersected in the green pastures of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, circa 2002. “We weren’t trying to start a band,” Ben remembers.

Tickets will be on sale here

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Virgin Festival Preview | Foo Fighters | Listen Here

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:31:37 +0000

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 London’s Hyde Park for a crowd of 85,000, the question looms larger than any in the Foo Fighters’ career to date: What do they do for an encore? More

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Radiohead and the Grizzly Bear

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:11:22 +0000

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 with their experimental/acoustic/indie brand of music. They’ll set a cool vibe…show up early.

Send your reviews and opinions – favorite track, best moment, number of beers…

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The English Beat Live at Toronto’s Festival of Beer

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:44:09 +0000

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 To Losing You” and “Hands off She’s Mine”.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

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Jack Johnson Live Update | Jack Johnson

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:13:22 +0000

What is it that people like about Jack Johnson? I would argue that it is his easiness, his laid back style and his ability to make music that draws you in to a softer, more mellow place.

For us, residents of Ontario, Burl’s Creek today may be the perfect place to see Jack. After a rain drenched summer, the day has been sunny, hot and pretty near perfect.

The crowd encompasses the same mellowness that Jack is accustomed to back home – although that may be due to the readily available joints…practically everywhere you turn.

All in all, a good vibe.

At most concerts, when the headliner takes the stage, there is a certain roar. For Jack, it’s a collective smile and applause – the way you would for that friend who would entertain everyone around a campfire. Burl’s Creek has that vibe.

Through newer songs Upside Down to older favorites like Bubble Toes, the crowd sings along…like at a campfire…with 10,000 people…of various ages and styles.

Wild? No.

A great way to spend an Ontario summer day? You bet.

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Jack Johnson Live Update | Neil Halstead

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:46:42 +0000

The bearded wonder – Neil Halstead – took the stage second promoting his album ‘”Oh Mighty Engine”

Halstead’s four-piece band carry a Beach Boys, Cat Stevens type vibe with some killer mandolin – reminiscent of a slower paced Kinks hook.

Amidst some technical issues Neil Halstead and his band delivered the crowd with another very talented and fitting performance.

He dedicated a song to the beard…manly beards.

Check out Neil Halstead if you haven’t already.

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Jack Johnson Live Update | Mason Jennings

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:45:11 +0000

Mason Jennings was the first to take the stage for the sun drenched and mellow, yet eager eco-fans.

He looks like a cross between Eddie Vedder (of the TEN era) and David Arquette. His sound is a southern warm and soothing acoustic and harmonic twang. Thoughtful lyrics, soft passion and some nicely timed harmonica made Mason Jennings a fantastic opener. I can assure you he won some new fans.

Mason’s track listing included ‘Your New Man’ and a very cool ‘Be Here Now’. Check them out at Mason Jennings Myspace.

It was a great set that ended with Jennings heartfelt thanks and a ‘I’m so happy you guys are alive’

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Jack Johnson Live Update

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:43:19 +0000

Burl’s Creek is an interesting spot for a concert – 20 minutes North of Barrie and home to a family campground, the Barrie Speedway and after today…the Greenest concert in North America. The doors opened at 4pm and the crowds are quickly rolling in. Waiting for Mason Jennings to take the stage… Post from: Toronto Unplugged

Post from: Toronto Unplugged