Toronto Unplugged

It’s a huge Saturday in the city tonight.  Months back, when tickets were going on sale, you would have had some big choices to make…here they are:
Joel Plaskett Emergency will be opening for Great Big Sea at the Molson Amphitheater
7:30 pm, $39.50-$59.50
The Black Crowes is playing Massey Hall w Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
This will be a solid, solid show.  Send in your reviews.
Massey Hall, $49.50-$59.50
New Music | Spur of the moment pics…
Catl, Bradley Boy @ The Dakota 10 pm, $5
Shortwave, The Giant Baby, Slave to the Squarewave @ The Rivoli, 8 pm

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The Fringe is Toronto ’s largest theatre festival.
In 2008 Toronto’s Fringe Festival will host over 800 artists from Ontario, Canada and around the world, with over 135 unique productions in more than 25 venues.
Productions range from dramas to musical extravaganzas to improv and take place in local theatres as well as in unusual spots: playgrounds, parking lots and more. The festival also hosts a beer tent, two outdoor patios and a free nightly Cabaret.
unjuried, unexpected, unforgettable
Music wise, there are some solid acts (free of charge) at the Fringe Club, 292 Brunswick. There’s something different every night, including a special …read more

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This track from Brendan Canning ‘Hit The Wall‘ was the first single from Canning’s solo album titled Something For All Of Us. The album was released on May 5, 2008 and was available as a free download on the Arts & Crafts website.
The song is a smooth yet funky track with Canning’s power-pop trait rocking through. With the first real days of summer coming around the corner, this is a patio track. Enjoy.

Brendan Canning is a founding member of Broken Social Scene and a veteran indie rock performer who has been a member of various notable …read more

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Part Two of Saturday Night happenings at NXNE tonight…
The Worst Pop Band Ever – With influences ranging from Radiohead to Miles Davis, Bjork to Brad Mehldau, TWPBE is a Toronto-based group that tries to amicably reconcile their love of improvisational music with pop.
Rex @ 12AM
Revival Dear – As a roots rock band from Toronto, Revival Dear has found a way to pay homage to the past and herald in the future at the same time. Somewhere between the Band and Fleetwood Mac.
**This will be a great gig**
Cadillac Lounge @ 12 Midnight
Emily Weedon & Delta – Recommended if you love Dolly …read more

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Said The Whale is as much a product of Vancouver’s tremendous natural beauty as it is of the city’s budding independent music scene. Electronic indie rock that captures the essence of what it means to be young, free and heartbroken.
Rivoli @ 11PM
Run With The Kittens – Ripping some musical styles from the past, some from the future, this foursome is hell bent on showing people a good time with a repertoire ranging from darkly witty Dylan-esque tunes to stompers worthy of Motorhead.
Holy Joe’s @ 11PM
The Two Koreas – Like soggy cigarette butts in melting snow banks, Toronto’s preeminent practitioners of …read more

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North by Northeast (or NXNE) is an annual four-day live music and film festival and music conference in Toronto, Ontario held the second weekend each June. This year’s Festival will run from June 12th – 16th.
It began in 1996 and was patterned on the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. Each year, three-dozen music venues host hundreds of bands from Canada, the United States and all over the world. Each music venue hosts five bands a night (9 p.m. onward), and the majority of the venues are grouped along downtown Toronto’s Queen St. West, College St. West, and …read more

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Silverstein, illScarlett, Cancer Bats, Teenage Head and the Black Lungs are set to rock the 13th annual S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival on Sunday, June 29th 2008. The renowned all-ages, one-day music festival will feature 151 performers at 13 venues and 16 stages across downtown St. Catharines.
S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival (St. Catharines Event for New Music Entertainment) spotlights the best and brightest of the independent music scene, presenting an eclectic roster to thousands of music fans. From intimate clubs to large …read more

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Hello Operator is a breakthrough band. They were called a “newsmaker” in Macleans magazine, and listed as “one of 12 bands to watch out for” by Canoe.ca after their exciting Canadian Music Week performance. Their video for Chasing Satellites has been in regular rotation on Much Music and Much Loud since November 2007 and have been featured on MTV Live.
The band just returned from an 8 week tour zig zagging across North America. Throughout the tour we would get random updates through msn, Facebook and email. Cameron’s Brewing is a big fan of the band and threw …read more

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Toronto multi-instrumentalist Royal Wood has made a name for himself close to home, with knee-weakening voice, olde-English poetics and crafty piano chops.
His most recent release, A Good Enough Day, is an ancient sonnet spun into twelve reasons as to why you should become a romantic, blending modern elements, forthright lyrics and haunting strings with love, life and death.
Having shared the stage with folks like My Morning Jacket, Serena Ryder and Sarah Harmer close to home, Royal packs his suitcase and begins his courtship with the rest of Canada when he heads west with Sarah Slean.
Royal Wood is taking on a …read more

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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

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