Sunday, December 02, 2007

Indie Music 12.

Welcome to my weekly roundup of inexpensive indie(ish) musical happenings in downtown Toronto. I try to list as many shows here as I know about, though with a preference for listing those happening at venues I especially like, or featuring performers I know something about. This list is thus not comprehensive. In addition, I rarely list shows that cost $10 or more, and never ones that require advance ticket purchases. If I'm missing something or you have any comments, please do let me know.

For this week's edition, I've included shows at The Smiling Buddha, a smallish bar on College, just west of Dovercourt. If you're in the area and up for catching some Toronto acts---at various stages of their careers---then I recommend checking this place out. The Horseshoe Tavern's series of celebratory concerts (for its 60th birthday) kicks off on Tuesday with a free show. And on Wednesday party it up with Henri Fabergé and The Adorables at The Embassy, the best bar in Kensington Market. The next seven days also feature a handful of CD releases, a two-night fundraiser for Punchclock Studios, a craft show with musical guests, and a couple solid lineups at my favourite venue, Tiger Bar.

MONDAY (3 dec)

Shoeless Monday featuring Urban Monks @ 11:30, Purge @ 10:30, and guests @ 9:30, The Horseshoe Tavern, free.

Kate Rogers Band w/ Casey Mecija (of Ohbijou) @ Supermarket.

TUESDAY (4 dec)

Slim Twig (EP release) w/ Huckleberry Friends, Conspiracy Of Familiar Objects, and projections by Exploding Motorcar Collective @ The Tiger Bar, 9pm, $5.

The Horseshoe Tavern's 60th birthday concert celebration starts off with a special edition of The Edge 102.1 Dave Bookman's Nu Music Nite. Featuring Lowest of the Low @ 11:10, My Shaky Jane @ 10:20, and Songs From A Room @ 9:30, free. Sounds like a good show!

Great Aunt Ida (Vancouver) and Mantler @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc ($5 suggested).

WEDNESDAY (5 dec)

* Henri Fabergé and The Adorables @ The Embassy, 8pm, free. Get there early because the bar is enforcing it's 60 person capacity. "Henri Faberge and The Adorables are bringing their residency at the Embassy to a close, for now. What with the amazing growth of acts like Laura Barrett and Woodhands taking off, my own side projects and an intensive writing period for the band, the Embassy shows have been here and there during 2007. So on December 5th, we are trading drums for decks and rocking the party tunes all night. Hot slut DJ Sheri Barclay (NYC/Edmonton) is promising some funky shit, we’re working on some video projections and we’re gonna sweat those windows up like it’s mid-July."

Frank Horvat, Ayton & Atherton, and Before The Flood @ Smiling Buddha, 9:30pm, pwyc.

Pitter Patter Nights presents The Liras, The Knaves, Invasions, Picturesound, @ The Boat, 9pm, $5.

Lights and We Are The Take @ Supermarket, 9pm, $5.

THURSDAY (6 dec)

There is, as usual, too much to do on Thursday night:

Ontario Power Generation, Russell Leon Band, and Canadian Honky @ Smiling Buddha, 9:30pm, pwyc.

* No Shame featuring Five Blank Pages, The Audiovisuals, and Racoon Wedding @ The Tiger Bar, 9pm, $5. FBPs are one of me faves. Go to this.

Andy Swan (CD release) @ The Dakota Tavern, 8:30pm, $tba.

Good Lovelies (1 year anniversary show) w/ Andy Sheppard and The Good Lovelies' Merry Men's Chorus @ Supermarket, 8pm, $10 (or $8 w/ canned good donation).

Punchclock Showcase featuring Final Fantasy, $100, Castlemusic, The Youngest, DJ Guvnor General @ Keep Six Gallery (938 Bathurst), music starts at 9:30pm, $5-$10. Or go early (from 6pm) to see the art. This event---and the one on Friday evening---is a fundraiser for Punchclock Print Studio.

Steamboat w/ Heidi Hazelton, Sandro Perri @ Tranzac, pwyc.

Local Rock featuring Dead But Dreaming @ 11:15, Flip Cynical @ 10:15, and Lost Innocence @ 9:15, Lee's Palace, $5.

Blood Ceremony (CD release) w/ Mäniac, Permafrown, and Old Witch @ The Boat, $5.

FRIDAY (7 dec)

All these shows should be good. Not everything is my style, but there's something for everyone on Friday night:

Jose Gonzalez (in-store performance) @ Sonic Boom, 6:30 pm, free.

Wild Honey presents Isle of Thieves, Purple Hill, and Terror Lake @ Smiling Buddha, 9:30pm, pwyc.

* Easy Tiger presents Great Bloomers, Songs From A Room @ The Tiger Bar, 10pm, $5. I'll probably be here if I'm anywhere.

Revival Dear, The Unionist Ministers @ The Dakota Tavern, 9 pm, $5.

SLAVE to the SQUAREwave @ Supermarket, 9pm, $5. "Rob & Doug will be spinning your favourite tunes from the 80’s & 90’s before and after the show."

Modernboys Moderngirls w/ Mariposa, and The Speaking Tongues @ El Mocambo (First Floor), 9:30pm, $6.

Statues, Horses, Orphan Choir, You're My Home @ Adrift Skateshop, 7pm, $7.

The Two-Minute Miracles w/ Proof of Ghosts, and Luckyfool @ The Silver Dollar Room, $7.

Indica Records presents Montreal prog punk featuring GrimSkunk @ 12:00, Guests @ 11:00, and Alpha Galates @ 10:00, Lee's Palace, $8.

Punchclock Showcase featuring Kids on TV, LSdoubleDcup, The Blankett, DJ Will Munro, featuring art by Will Munro, Michael Comeau, Shannon Muegge, Jesjit Gil, and more @ Keep Six Gallery (938 Bathurst), music starts at 9:30pm, $5-$10.

SATURDAY (8 dec)

Jully Black and Hayley Sales @ Nathan Phillips Square, 7 pm, free.

Nanoworld, Yuka, and Dr. Payne And The Disease @ Smiling Buddha, 9:30pm, pwyc.

The Echo Hunters (Montreal, CD release) w/ Layah Jane @ Cameron House (Back Room), 9 pm, $6.

United Steel Workers of Montreal w/ The Dress Whites @ Bovine Sex Club, $6.

The Flints w/ PDF Format @ C'est What (67 Front St. E), 10pm, $6.

ALL CAPS! and No Shame craft show featuring The Youngest, Big Digits (electro dance party enthusiasts from Cambridge, MA), MYTH (formerly Alight), Kaeru (members of Ohbijou and Forest City Lovers), and City Field @ Whippersnapper Gallery (587A College). "Join us for a day of crafts and music. We've got some great local artists selling their work, and some great bands performing. The doors will open for the craft sale at 4pm and the bands will start at 7pm sharp. Cover is Pay-What-You-Can before 6pm, $7 after."

Dancing:

Doing It To Death @ The Boat, 10pm, $5.

SUNDAY (9 dec)

The Corporation, We Love, guests, and DJ Charleton @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, $5. This is a benefit show for the AIDS Committee of Toronto.

Wavelength 392 featuring Bill Bissett (poet), The Parkdale Revolutionary Orchestra, northamorica, and DJ The People of Canada @ Sneaky Dee’s, 9pm, pwyc.

Gather Round featuring Hamilton Trading Co. @ The Boat, 9pm, $5.

City Field (Halifax), Saffron Sect, The Hoa Hoa's, The Girl Guides @ Smiling Buddha, 9pm, pwyc. I might go check this out.

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