Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Podcast 26 (28 Jan-1 Feb 2009).

Featuring Laura Barrett ("Ferryland"), Wendy Leung ("Stop/Start"), Shad ("I Don't Like To"), Cuff the Duke ("Long Road"), The Tom Fun Orchestra ("Highway Siren Song Breakdown"), and The Unsettlers ("Red To Black").

Listen at Zygiella
Download the podcast
RSS (subscribe and download this and past podcasts)
iTunes (subscribe)

Monday, January 26, 2009

Indie Music 67 (26 Jan-1 Feb Jan 2009).

Like this list? Join my Google Group to get my weekly Toronto indie music listings. Or, the Facebook group. Subscribe to my weekly podcast (or download the episodes) here, or through iTunes. Or just listen to the latest one, and all the other ones, at Zygiella. Make sure to check the rest of this blog for show reviews and photos, giveaways, and downloads.

Welcome to my weekly roundup of inexpensive indie(ish) musical happenings in downtown Toronto, all for $10 or less. I try to list as many shows here as I know about, though this list is not comprehensive. If I'm missing something or you have any comments, let me know.

I caught a few new-to-me bands this week, and one new-to-me venue, plus I traded Wavelength for Gather Round on Sunday... so, it was a week with a difference for me. On Thursday I caught Ketch Harbour Wolves and The O'Darlings at Holy Joe's. On Friday at the Horseshoe, Great Bloomers impressed me with their new songs, and I got to see Tusks finally. That same night I saw $100 as a duo for the first time, then Catl, also for the first time. Great stuff all round. On Sunday I caught a bit of Cataline/These Boots, witnessed the debut performance of Peanut & Victoria (awesome percussion-heavy experimental duo), and then ended the evening with Hamilton Trading Co.

This week there's lots to do! (I know I write that a lot, but it's no less true this week.) I got a few things starred in the listings below. I'll be at the Horsehoe on Saturday---you can win tickets to that show on my blog---but otherwise I haven't made any firm decisions about where I'll be at. I do love Yacht Rock, though... dance party at the Boat on Friday.

MONDAY (26 jan)

Angela Bower (AKA Christine Bougie & Dafydd Hughes; residency) w/ Kieran Adams @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7pm, pwyc.

Shoeless Mondays feat. Those Damn Kookies @ 11:15, Claypine @ 10:15, and Waiting For Grace @ 9:15. The Horseshoe Tavern, 8:30pm, free.

* Elvis Monday feat. Liam Titcomb, The Whole Entire Universe (AKA The People of Canada band), Yuka, The Miles, Donlands & Mortimer, and Aborted Ambition @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 9pm, free. Free food served until 10pm.

Rattlesnake Choir (residency) @ The Dakota Tavern, 10pm, free.

Slowdance (weekly party) w/ DJ Anthony Gerace @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, free.

* Unheard Of Mondays feat. Felicity Williams & Dan Fortin, Mike Smith & Jeremy Strachan, and Colin Fisher & Nifty @ Tranzac (Tiki Room), 8pm, pwyc. Curated by Thom Gill all month long.

Panic Density feat. See Through Trio @ Tequila Bookworm, 9pm, pwyc.

Bryan Arcand (residency) w/ Sparkling White @ The Cameron House (Front Room), 9:30pm, pwyc.

Chloe Charles, Trevor Campbell, and Erik Jorgensen @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 8:30pm, pwyc.

TUESDAY (27 jan)

nO.I.S.E.@ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 5:30pm, pwyc.

Paul Linklater & His Murmurers (residency) @ The Cameron House (Front Room), 7-9pm, pwyc.

* St. Dirt Elementary School (residency) @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

Drummers in Exile (weekly event) @ The Annex WreckRoom, 8pm, pwyc ($2-$5).

Sound Bites (acoustic night) feat. For Better Words, Nika Smith, The Sun Harmonic, and Elder Sister Plum @ Smiling Buddha, 8pm, free.

Kavan Cleary and Lizz Hodgson @ Free Times Cafe, 8pm, pwyc.

* The Edge 102.1 Dave Bookman's Nu Music Nite feat. Beyond A Wonderland @ 11:40, The Mark Inside @ 10:50, The Superstitions @ 10:00, and Final Flash @ 9:10. The Horseshoe Tavern, 8:30pm, free.

Jagermeister presents Maximum R'n'R and Saigon Hookers @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, free.

The Boogie Down hosted by Lybido (weekly party) feat. DJs Mensa, Double K, Splattermonkey, and Medley @ Augusta House, 9pm, free.

Tumblin' Tuesdays (residency) feat. Lucas Stagg, Tanya Philipovich, and International Turpentine @ Graffiti's Bar & Grill, 9pm, pwyc.

Remedy @ Rok Boutique, 9pm.

The Human Statues presents feat. The Human Statues, Christina Maria, David Ward, and David Hein @ Bread & Circus, 9:30pm, pwyc.

Babylon Telecom presents Social Work (DJ night) w/ guests DJ Rob Nice and MFFN @ The Ossington, 10pm, free.

Alexandra Ribera & band (residency) @ The Cameron House (Front Room), 10pm, free.

Michael Holt (residency) @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

The Sure Things (residency) @ Cock & Tail, 10pm, pwyc.

The Flying Bordelos (2 sets) @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, pwyc.

Kevin Hearn & Thin Buckle @ The Dakota Tavern, 10pm.

* Bosscho (Springsteen cover night) feat. The Schomber Fair, Whale Tooth, Patrick Brealey, The Dress Whites, Megan Hamilton & Megan Marshall, The Big City Nights Band, and Sky Shark @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, $5.

Nicole Rampersaud, Harley Card, and Ethan Ardelli @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $8.

Burlesque Carnivale feat. The Cinnamon Hearts (burlesque) w/ Dylan Murray, The Emotionally Unavailable Mariners, and DJ Dorian & Dorian @ The Boat, 9pm, $10.

Paisley Jura (CD release) @ Supermarket, 8:30pm, $10.

WEDNESDAY (28 jan)

Acoustic Espionage @ Silver Dollar, 6-9pm, free. Weekly songwriters open stage event, hosted by Tim Harrison and Noah Zacharin. Followed by High Lonesome Wednesdays w/ Crazy Strings (bluegrass music), 9:30pm.

Laura Repo (residency) @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

Deb Whalen @ Free Times Cafe, 8pm, pwyc.

Pink Mafia and She Does The City present Live Band Karaoke @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 8pm, pwyc.

The Annex WreckRoom & IndieCan Radio present IndieCan Wednesdays feat. Vercity and Patrizia @ The Annex WreckRoom, 9pm, free.

Bump It feat. Yo-Ev and So Soft (weekly party) @ Augusta House, 9pm, free.

Rock 'n Roll Pornography w/ Guitar Hero live on stage @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, free.

Wednesdays Go Pop! feat. The Framework, Chris Caddell, and Alysha Brillinger @ Supermarket, 9pm, pwyc.

Rockgasm II feat. Max Alexandre, O-God, and Bryen Shi @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, pwyc.

Everybody's Favourite Colour (original music, improv) @ Concord Cafe, 9pm.

The Night Bazaar presents Michael Keith (playing the complete works of Karl Magnet), Debashis Sinha's 'shruti,' Duo improvisations by Kousha Nakhaei & David Sait @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc. Chess boards provided.

The Sure Things (residency) @ The Dakota Tavern, 10pm, $5?

Wombat Wednesdays feat. The Uplifters, The Brothers Baird, and Bitter City @ Tranzac (Main Hall), 8:30pm, $5.

* Alphabot!, Cut Throat Britva, Clouds (that look like things), and Blood Rexdale & the Walls Are Blond @ The Velvet Underground, 9pm, $5ish.

Vanderpark and The Evelyn Room @ Tattoo Rock Parlour, 9pm, $5.

Half Past Four, The Futz, and Mackenzie King @ Clinton's, 9pm, $5.

Acoustic Night feat. Ryan Christopher and Luke Sneyd @ Rok Boutique, 9pm, $6.

Odradek (residency) w/ Paul Newman, Bill Gilliam, and Araz Salek (solo) @ Somewhere There, 8pm, $8.

* Josh Reichmann Oracle Band @ 11:15, Valery Gore @ 10:15, and Laura Barrett @ 9:15. The Horseshoe Tavern, 8:30pm, $8.

Sarah Shafey (CD release) w/ Mike Celia @ The Rivoli, 9pm, $10 (or $5 in adv from http://www.sarahshafey.com).

THURSDAY (29 jan)

* Sebastien Grainger & the Mountains (in-store) @ Sonic Boom, 7pm, free. All ages.

Chris Banks and Chris Vale (residency) @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

Andre Roy Jazz Trio @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 6-9pm, free.

Ancient Chinese Secret (residency) @ The Cadillac Lounge, 7:30pm, free.

Erik Bleich, Jon Travis, Carl Lorusso Jr, and Elissa Gallai @ Free Times Cafe, 8:30pm, pwyc.

Live Jazz Thursdays feat. Stop Time @ Tequila Bookworm, 9pm, pwyc.

Quarter Tank, Voodoo Bunny, and DJ Ash @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm.

The Eatons and Space Is For Stars @ Rok Boutique, 9pm.

* Jonas Bonnetta (Evening Hymns), Kat Burns (Forest City Lovers), Casey Mecija (Ohbijou), and Gavin Gardiner (The Wooden Sky) @ The Central, 9pm, pwyc.

Temptation w/ DJ General Electric (weekly party) @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 10pm, free.

Trinket Trance feat. Great Dane, The Good Ideas (final show), and Betty Dimo @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, pwyc.

* The Pauls and tba @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

Acoustic Spirit feat. Dallas Lockrey, Krazy-Rob, Julian Petti, and Reuben O'dell-Barkow @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 9, $5.

Artists for Outreach presents Sing For Supper, a benefit concert for St. Francis Table feat. Missing In Venice, The Jayce, and Victor Swift @ El Mocambo (Upstairs), 8pm, $8 (or $5 w/ canned food or cleaning agent donation).

Squeeky and The Terribles, King Solomon, and Carlo & the Sound Education @ The WhipperSnapper Gallery, 8pm, $5.

* Steam Whistle Unsigned feat. United Steel Workers of Montreal, Shortwave, and Hooded Fang, and Green Go DJs @ Steam Whistle Brewing, 9:30pm (show starts), $5. Unsigned Art Show Closing Reception 8pm-9:30pm. All proceeds at the door to the Artists' Health Centre Foundation.

Your New Friends (CD release) w/ Run With the Kittens and Donlands & Mortimer @ The Rivoli, 8pm, $5.

* Horses, The Jill Stavely Project, Shotgun Wedding, and Malcolm Bauld @ The Silver Dollar Room, 9pm, $5.

Pacific Trash Vortex, Pace the Stairs, and Spooky Scarecrows @ The Chelsea Room, $5.

Freedom Cage @ 11:15, The Dregs @ 10:15, and The Pull @ 9:15. Lee's Palace, $5.

The Unknown Culprits and Katelyn Dawn @ C'est What, 9:30pm, $5.

* IndieCredit No. 1 feat. The Lovely Killbots, The Wilderness of Manitoba, and Wendy Leung @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, $5.

Hush Money (CD release) w/ Barf, Pigeons!; B'MO Crazy; and Please Stand By, We're Having Technical Difficulties @ The Boat, 9pm, $5 (or $8 gets you the CD too).

Hammersmith:forgersofmetal and others @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm.

* Bahamas @ The Dakota Tavern, 10pm.

Padded Cell Productions presents Shock Therapy feat. Danny Dopamine, Angerville, PCP, w/ guest DJs JzL, Scratche, and DTM @ Augusta House, 10pm, $7 (before 11pm, $10 after).

* The Hots @ 11:30, Cancel Winter @ 10:50, Sunriser @ 10:00, and Us & Others @ 9:10. The Horseshoe Tavern, 8:30pm, $8.

Simeon Abbott (residency) feat. Cat Fur Omelette and Generic Rock @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $8.

The Sarah & Jeff Show, Glenn Brody, The Clearing, Emily Bones, and Ryan Karam @ Holy Joe's, 8:30pm, $8.

Abstract Thought Events Promotions presents Half Past Four, Captive Grooves, metheus Bound @ Smiling Buddha Bar, 7:30pm, $10.

* Low Level Flight, We Are the Take, These Three Cities @ Tattoo Rock Parlour, 9pm, $10.

FunkaBelly: Monthly Dance Party and Bellydance Cabaret w/ DJ medicineman @ Supermarket, 9pm, $10.

* Beast and These Electric Lives @ The Mod Club, 7pm (early show), $10.

FRIDAY (30 jan)

* Ronley Teper's Lipliners @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

Mosaic (R&B, soul) @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 7-10pm, free.

Bill Wood & the Woodies w/ Mary Margaret Wood @ Graffiti's Bar & Grill, 9pm, free.

Tanya Philipovich and Lucas Stagg Band @ The Press Club, 10pm, pwyc.

Collette Savard @ Free Times Cafe, 8:30pm.

* The Ryan Driver Quartet @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

Don't Be Shy (dance party) @ Augusta House, 10pm, free (before 11pm, $5 after).

Bradleyboy w/ Jeff Leech & the Pepperbox Choir @ The Dakota Tavern, 10pm, $5.

Dirty Chinese Thieves, Darlings of Chelsea (debut), Voodoo Bunny, and Romeo Liquor Store @ El Mocambo (First Floor), 9pm, $5.

The Burnitdowns and Organ Thieves @ Annies on Queen, 9pm, $5.

Shit La Merde (dance party) w/ DJs Pat C and CTV News At Noon @ Sneaky Dee's, 10pm, $5 (or free before 11pm).

TWM presents Michou, Make Your Exit, and Voila @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, $7.

The Common Dears, Lion Ride, and DJ Vania @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, $5.

Yacht Rock X (dance party) @ The Boat, 10pm, $5. This is my favourite dance party. It's hilarious.

Broomfiller and You Handsome Devil @ Rok Boutique, 9pm, $6.

Late Night Live: Sourvan, Endsville @ The Silver Dollar Room, 10:30pm, $5.

Star Map Caravan and Space Craft 7 @ Rearview Mirror, 10pm, $5ish.

Jace P & the Big People w/ The BreakDown and Jessica Rose @ Smiling Buddha, 8pm, $5.

Non Stop (dance party) w/ Dana D, Fistfight, and Graham Zilla @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 10pm, $5.

Nick Rose w/ David Goldman, Dan Griffin & the Regrets @ The Rivoli, 8pm, $5.

Foxhole 4 Year Anniversary (dance party) w/ DJs Shane MacKinnon, May, and Bink @ Supermarket, 10pm, $7.

Ferriswheel, J-Envoie, and Nina Nielsen & the Sinking Ships @ Mitzi's Sister.

The Grave @ 12:30, Jets To Ground @ 11:30 (CD release), Sonny Boy Mick @ 10:30, Free Press @ 9:30. The Horseshoe Tavern, 9pm, $6.

Leftover Daylight Series: Schoorl / Sorbara, Paul Newman (solo), and aimtoronto Orchestra Workshop @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $8.

Chinese Food @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 9pm, $10.

Chris Warren (CD release) w/ The Parkdale Revolutionary Orchestra @ Tranzac (Main Hall), 8:30pm, $10.

The Screwed (3 sets) @ The Cadillac Lounge, 10pm.

Primary Colors presents You So Big Musclw Strong J'Taime feat. Parallels (live set), Thrust Lab (live), Botox Corvette, Animal Monster, and Nif-D, with Mark Brown (video) @ Canadian Corps Legion Hall, 9pm, ?

Landed Entertainments presents Film Jam: Battle of the Jams 2, Round 3 feat. Cookie Couture, Leah Speers, and Start Tomorrow, w/ DJ Havok @ El Mocambo (Upstairs), 8pm, $10 (or $8 w/ canned food donation).

Insurrection Entertainment & LiveLetLive Promotions presents The Cherish, A Distance From, McCarthy, The Diverse Attraction, Casper in Kasady, Beyond the Shadows, and Big City Skyline @ Kathedral, 6pm, $10.

Indie Night feat. Graham Porter, The Jing Bang Show, The Passenger, and You vs. Me @ Holy Joe's, 8pm, $10.

SATURDAY (31 jan)

Dodge Fiasco (residency) @ Graffiti's Bar & Grill, 4pm, pwyc.

Bill Colgate & the Urbane Guerillas feat. Wendell Ferguson (residency) @ The Dominion on Queen, 4-7pm, pwyc.

Willow Rutherford w/ David Celia @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 6pm, pwyc.

Country Saturdays feat. Kensington Hillbillys @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 8-10pm, free.

* Wintercity Festival feat. Shad (8pm) and Thunderheist (8:45pm) @ Nathan Phillips Square, free.

D'Arcy Wickham @ Free Times Cafe, 8:30pm.

Shoot The Cameraman (2 sets) @ Not My Dog, 10pm, pwyc.

* SIRIUS Canada presents Cuff the Duke and Castlemusic, hosted by SIRIUS Satellite Radio Canada / CBC Radio 3’s Craig Norris @ Lakeside Terrace (Harbourfront), 9-11pm, free. All ages.

Three Times Fast @ Tequila Bookworm, 9pm, pwyc. "The music of Ellington and Monk."

Stella Rose, Kim Jarrett, Neil Blackhawk & the 3 Legged Dog @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm.

Avant Gardening feat. Martine Arnold, Kyle & Sarah Glover, Neil & Carolyn Turnbull, Al Newell, Dave Clark, and Mike Overton @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

Blizzard of Ozz (Ozzy Osbourne tribute band) @ Rok Boutique, 10pm.

* John Connolly, Allie Hughes, and Jadea Kelly @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 10pm.

Diablo Red, Reverse Mount Rushmore, and DJ Darrin Pfeiffer @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, $5.

* Endprogram, Akroid, UTI, and The Kettle Black @ Annies on Queen, 9pm, $5.

DMoney presents Sophisticated (dance party) feat. Lucie Tic, Barbi, and the Right Clik Dance Crew @ Augusta House, 10pm, $5 (before 11pm).

* Famous Players, OPOPO, Fellows, and The Miles @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 8pm, $5.

Michael Brennan Band w/ Kim Cole @ The Cadillac Lounge, 9pm.

DJ Mikey Apples @ The Drake Hotel (Lounge), 11pm, $5.

Do Right! Saturdays (dance party) feat. DJs Fase, John Kong, Circle Research, and MC Abdominal @ Supermarket, 10pm, $5 (before 11pm).

Lifestory:Monologue, Farewell Cool Reason, Second Floor Escape, and Cut Throat Kids @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, $5.

The Job (CD release), My Shaky Jane, and People You Know @ The Velvet Underground, 8pm (early show), $5?

F'unreal (dance party) @ The Boat, 10pm, $5.

Culture By Number, Blacklist Manifest, Anthony Randall, Daniel Berkal $ Brian Parker, Julian Petti, At Odds With Even, and Mike Lazarevski @ Smiling Buddha Bar, 8pm, $5.

PiNG presents WARMiNG WiNTER CHiLL featuring io with a. mark (mbira) + URM + General Chaos Visuals @ The Central, 8pm, $6.

* TWM 33 presents The Unsettlers, Hot Kid, and The Speaking Tongues @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, $7. WOO!

* Boys Who Say No (EP release) w/ Provincial Parks, Woolly Leaves, and The People of Canada @ WhipperSnapper Gallery, 8pm, $7 (adv tix avail. at Soundscapes).

Young Contrarians, Epigram, and Picturesound @ El Mocambo (First Floor), 9pm, $6.

* The Tom Fun Orchestra @ 12:15, Bruce Peninsula @ 10:45, and The Darcys @ 9:45. The Horseshoe Tavern, 9pm, $8. I'm running a ticket/CD giveaway for this show on my blog.

Footprints (dance party) feat. DJs Jason Palma, General Eclectic, and Stuart, hosted by Lybido @ The Rivoli, 10pm, $5 (before 11pm; $10 after).

Justin Haynes & Roddy Ellias @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $8.

Deamon, Crimson Shadows, Abyssal Throne, and Immrama @ Duffy's Tavern, 8pm, $10.

SUNDAY (1 feb)

Les Singes Bleus @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 1pm, pwyc.

Michael Brennan, Steve Briggs, and Rob Clark (residency) @ Graffiti's Bar & Grill, 4-7pm, pwyc.

David Woodhead and Friends @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 5pm, pwyc.

The County Boys @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 5-8pm, free.

John Borra & Sam Ferrara (residency) @ The Communist's Daughter, 5pm, pwyc.

Chloe Charles and friends @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 8-10pm, free.

Lauren Best @ Free Times Cafe, 8pm.

* Wavelength 448 feat. Mein, Electroluminescent, Fire Hydrant, and The Unsettlers @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, pwyc.

* Gather Round feat. Hamilton Trading Co. and more @ The Boat, 9pm, pwyc.

The Woodchoppers Association @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10:30pm, pwyc.

Christine Duncan's Element Choir (residency) @ Somewhere There, 6-8pm, $8.

NOW Series @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $8.

Giveaway: Ruby Coast, Winter Gloves, and Everything All The Time @ Horseshoe, 5 Feb.

There are still a few days to enter---and win!---the contest I've got up for free tickets to see The Tom Fun Orchestra, Bruce Peninsula, and The Darcys at the Horseshoe this coming weekend, plus CDs from all three bands.

The weekend after that, you can head back to the Horseshoe to see one of my favourite young Toronto bands, Ruby Coast. Joining them are Montreal's Winter Gloves, a super fun electro-pop group signed to Paper Bag Records. Opening up the night is Everything All The Time. Thanks to Ruby Coast, I've got a nice prizepack to giveaway. If you win, you'll get yourself two tickets to the show (guestlist + 1), a copy of Ruby Coast's EP (Projectable Collections), and a Ruby Coast t-shirt! How fun, eh?

A couple weeks after their mini central Canada tour in Feb, Ruby Coast is headed out on their debut US tour with their friends Tokyo Police Club, and then the two of them join up with Ra Ra Riot (!!). Awesome.

For a chance at the tickets, CD, and t-shirt, e-mail me at historyjenATgmailDOTcom with "Ruby Coast" in the subject line. The deadline is 11:59pm on Tuesday, 3 Feb. This show will be great! Tickets are only $5 at the door if you don't win.

Download: "More Than Television" from the Ruby Coast Projectable Collections EP.
Download: "Factories" off of Winter Gloves's About A Girl.
UPDATE: I got a winner! Congrats to Somaly L., and thanks to everyone who entered.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Podcast 25 (19-25 Jan 2009).

This week's guest was Matt Bahen from The Schomberg Fair, who brought his banjo along and played a song for us. We also played Matt's choice of songs from bands performing this week: The Speaking Tongues ("Doctor Doctor"), $100 ("Careless Love"), Matt Bahen ("Drunkard's Prayer," live), Entire Cities ("Cop Song"), The Locusts Have No King ("Goodman On A Strange Horse"), and The Schomberg Fair ("Last Train").

Next week Tyler and I will just be Tyler and I.

Listen at Zygiella
Download the podcast
RSS (subscribe and download this and past podcasts)
iTunes (subscribe)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

"People Got a Lotta Nerve."

Heck, I want in on this too. Here's the new Neko Case single, "People Got A Lotta Nerve." (Why didn't she name the song "People Gotta Lotta Nerve"? Whatever. Irrelevant.) Neko and her label, ANTI-, promise to donate US$5 to Best Friends Animal Society for every blog that posts the song, and for every iLike user who posts the song to a profile.

Neko Case will be in Toronto for a two night stand at Trinity St. Paul's church on 17-18 April.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Ticket/CD Giveaway: The Tom Fun Orchestra, Bruce Peninsula, and The Darcys @ The Horseshoe, 31 Jan.

Whoa, have I got a prize pack for you!

The Tom Fun Orchestra is coming to town at the end of January, headlining a stacked bill at the Horseshoe that also includes The Darcys and indie favourites Bruce Peninsula. Their album, You Will Land With a Thud, is a rollicking good time that draws musical influence from the band's East Coast home as well as a variety of other styles, from messy big band to high energy folk rock. I've heard good things about the band's past live performances in Toronto. Bruce Peninsula put on a great show at the Horseshoe when I saw them there back in August, and this Toronto band/choir supergroup of sorts is making waves in the music world with their new album, A Mountain Is a Mouth. Opening up the show is The Darcys, whose shoegaze indie pop should set an interesting tone for the rest of the evening. In a city where there are good, inexpensive shows all the time, this is one of the more promising lineups in one of the best venues.

The prize pack include two tickets to the show (you + a guest), a copy of You Will Land With a Thud, a copy of The Darcys's album, Endless Water, and the new Bruce Peninsula album, A Mountain Is a Mouth (digital download). For a chance to win all these goodies, e-mail me at historyjenATgmailDOTcom with your full name. Put "Tom, Bruce, and Darcy" in the subject line---lame!---and get this in to me by the end of 28 Jan. You gotta be able to come to the show to enter, of course. And if you don't win, you can pick up tickets to the Horseshoe show at the door for only $8.

Download: The Tom Fun Orchestra's "Highway Siren Song Breakdown" from You Will Land With a Thud.

Download: "Steamroller" from Bruce Peninsula's A Mountain Is a Mouth.

UPDATE: I got a winner. Congrats to Bilal F.

Indie Music 66 (19-25 Jan 2009).

Like this list? Join my Google Group to get my weekly Toronto indie music listings. Or, the Facebook group. Subscribe to my weekly podcast (or download the episodes) here, or through iTunes. Or just listen to the latest one, and all the other ones, at Zygiella. Make sure to check the rest of this blog for show reviews and photos, giveaways, and downloads.

Welcome to my weekly roundup of inexpensive indie(ish) musical happenings in downtown Toronto, all for $10 or less. I try to list as many shows here as I know about, though this list is not comprehensive. If I'm missing something or you have any comments, let me know.

MONDAY (19 jan)

Elvis Monday feat. Mercury Men, Christina Maria, Elyssa, Burning Candy, Whole Entire Universe (The People of Canada band) @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 9pm, free.

Rattlesnake Choir (residency) @ The Dakota Tavern, 10pm, free.

Moonshot @ The Bovine Sex Club, 7:30pm (early show), free.

* Unheard Of Mondays feat. Alexanna Lindarian (Alex Lukashevsky, Ryan Driver, and Anna Linda Siddall) @ Tranzac (Tiki Room), 8pm, pwyc. Curated by Thom Gill all month long.

Outbox 6 presents Dann/Lumley/Rinaldi/Ward @ Tequila Bookworm (upstairs), 9pm, pwyc ($5 sugg). Part of Panic Density Monday Nights.

Bryan Arcand (residency) w/ Box Full of Cash @ The Cameron House (Front Room), 9:30pm, pwyc.

Tristan @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 10pm.

TUESDAY (20 jan)

Shelltoe Tuesday feat. Leroy Brown @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 9:30pm-midnight, free.

The Edge 102.1 Dave Bookman's Nu Music Nite feat. The Von Ericks @ 11:40, Wank Punter @ 10:50, Public @ 10:00, and Planet 4 @ 9:10. The Horseshoe Tavern, 8:30pm, free.

The Pink & Black Attack presents The Vicious Guns, Mother/Father, and Glasseater @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, free.

The Boogie Down hosted by Lybido (weekly party) feat. DJs Dirty Dale, Double K, Splattermonkey, and Matt Medley @ Augusta House, 9pm, free.

Paul Linklater & His Murmurers (residency) @ The Cameron House (Front Room), 7-9pm, pwyc.

Drummers in Exile (weekly event) @ The Annex WreckRoom, 8pm, pwyc ($2-$5).

Alexandra Ribera & band (residency) @ The Cameron House (Front Room), 10pm, free.

* St. Dirt Elementary School (residency) @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

The Human Statues present Zach's Birthday Extravaganza feat. Ryan Field, Curtis Santiago & Mike Schlosser, Adam Bailie, David Celia, and others @ Bread & Circus (299 Augusta Ave.), 9pm, pwyc.

John Connolly @ Mitzi's Sister, 9pm.

The Book of Gnomes (residency, 2 sets) @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 9pm, pwyc.

The Sure Things (residency) @ Cock & Tail, 10pm, pwyc.

EonBomb @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 9pm.

Atlantis Blueprint, Side Project, and Justus @ Rok Boutique, 9pm, $6.

David Prentice and Aaron Lumley @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $8.

WEDNESDAY (21 jan)

Alicia Sales (CD release) @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 7-11pm, free.

Acoustic Espionage @ Silver Dollar, 6-9pm, free. Weekly songwriters open stage event, hosted by Tim Harrison and Noah Zacharin. Plus, "$3.99 Buffet with purchase of any Amsterdam product." Followed by High Lonesome Wednesdays w/ Crazy Strings (bluegrass music), 9:30pm, free.

The Annex WreckRoom & IndieCan Radio present IndieCan Wednesdays feat. John Connolly Band, Tim Chaisson, and Mother/Father @ The Annex WreckRoom, 9pm, free.

Bump It feat. Yo-Ev, Barbi, So Soft, and DJ Lucie Tic (weekly party) @ Augusta House, 9pm, free.

Rock 'n Roll Pornography w/ Guitar Hero live on stage and DJ Billy Geek @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, free.

Caitlin Burgess @ Free Times Cafe, 8:30pm, pwyc.

PWYC Weds feat. Needlefoot, My Son My Son, and Texas Gold @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, pwyc.

Don't Worry Darlin' @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

Wednesdays Go Pop! feat. Pat Robitaille, Lindi Ortega, and Alysha Brillinger @ Supermarket, 9pm, pwyc.

The Printing Press, Trevor Campbell, and Taylor Mitchell @ Smiling Buddha, 9pm, pwyc.

Vicarious @ 11:40, Tim Amor @ 10:50, Christianne @ 10:00, and The Fix @ 9:10. The Horseshoe Tavern, 8:30pm, $4.

After Runnymede and others @ Clinton's Tavern, 8pm, $5.

Keith Barry and Morgan David (acoustic night) @ Rok Boutique, 9pm.

Christina Maria, Kendal Thompson, Curtis Santiago, and Roxanne Potvin @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 9pm, $5.

* Wombat Wednesdays feat. Maylee Todd, Dianne Montgomery, Gravity Wave, and Mitch Yolevsky @ Tranzac (Main Hall), 8pm, $5.

Fourlines w/ Away From the Glow and Sylvia (acoustic) @ Tattoo Rock Parlour, 9pm, $5.

The Sure Things (residency) @ The Dakota Tavern, 10pm, $5?

* Mandibles, The Little Deaths, and Hut @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 8pm, $5.

* Pitter Patter Nights presents Trike and Picassio @ The Boat, 9pm, $5.

Beastie Boys Tribute Night @ The Velvet Underground, 9pm, $7 (adv tix avail.).

Odradek residency: Lazer Floyd @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $8.

Joshua Bartholomew w/ The Stellas @ The Rivoli, 8pm, $8.

New Vision Projects @ 11:00, Mrs Na$ty@ 10:10, Indecent Disposal @ 9:20, and Kate and Lisa @ 8:30. Lee's Palace, $10.

THURSDAY (22 jan)

Chris Banks and Chris Vale @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

Glenda Del E (Cuban music) @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 8-10pm, free.

Pretending it's Summer Party feat. Proof of Ghosts @ Marylou Flamingo, 7:30pm, free. $1 refreshments, and don't wear all black clothing. The band will be on at about 10pm.

Ancient Chinese Secret (residency) @ The Cadillac Lounge, 7:30pm, free.

Tiger Lil and Ashlea Jonesmith @ Free Times Cafe, 8pm, pwyc.

Live Jazz Thursdays feat. Run Stop Run @ Tequila Bookworm, 9pm, pwyc.

Women in Tragedy, Gravitons, and Disguises @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, pwyc.

Michael Jackson Songs by Mantler and Snowblink @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10:30pm, pwyc.

Ashley @ 11:40, Magneta Lane @ 10:50, Wilderness @ 10:00, and The Stormalongs @ 9:10. The Horseshoe Tavern, 8:30pm, $4.

* The Varsity Newspaper presents Foxfire, Ruby Coast, and The Boys Who Say No, w/ DJ Jordan Bimm (Put The Rifle Down, NOW Magazine) @ The Great Hall (Hart House, U of T), 8pm, $5. All proceeds to Journalists for Human Rights. All ages.

* Ketch Harbour Wolves, The O'Darling, and Shelby Lamb @ Holy Joe's, 9pm, $5.

Slow News Day, The Evelyn Room, and Andrew DeVillers @ El Mocambo (First Floor), 9pm, $5.

One World feat. Pegleg, Sol & DJ 108, Misbehavinkat @ El Mocambo (Upstairs), 9:30pm, $5.

* Deromantic, The Champion Heartache, and Cam Malcolm @ The Rivoli, 8:30pm, $5.

* Ryerson Sch. of Image Arts presents Arists of the Revolution feat. Boytech @ 11:30, Stereo Goes Stellar @ 10:30, and The Dress Whites @ 9:30, w/ host Fritz Helder and The Phantoms. Lee's Palace, 9pm, $5 (adv tix avail.)

A Fourth World w/ 7th Line @ Tattoo Rock Parlour, 9pm, $5.

The State of Things and New Love Army @ Clinton's Tavern, 9pm, $5?

Hand'Solo Records presents Lexinton + Whatevski, Angerville, Modulok, The Messenger, and Royce Birth @ Augusta House, 9:30pm, $5.

Redeemer and Bastard Child Death Cult @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, $5.

Their Shallow Valley, Trish Robb, and The Cavaliers @ Smiling Buddha Bar, 8:30pm, $5.

* Metal Kites and Good Citizens @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, $5.

Emerson Jhon, Szan T No, SincerelyYours, and Angel Oranj @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 9pm, $5.

Triple Record Release feat. Adam Faux & the Exploding Band, Adam Baille w/ Club Tree House, and The Flints, plus Scott Dibble @ Supermarket, 9pm, $6.

Vedette w/ Rehan Dalal and The Pilgrims of Brock @ C'est What, 9:30pm, $6.

Vedette w/ Pilgrims of Brock and Rehan Dalal @ C'est What, 9:30pm, $6.

* The Izzys, Action Makes, The Easy Targets, and Nature Moves Faster @ The Silver Dollar Room, 9pm, $7.

Simeon Abbott: Lambchops & Transcendental Rodeo @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $8.

Hair Nation (80s hair metal tribute act) @ The Annex WreckRoom, 9pm, $10.

* David Baxter (CD release, w/ Justin Rutledge, Treasa Levasseur, Brian Kobayakawa) and special guest Paul Reddick (w/ Darcy Yates, Christine Bougie, David Baxter) @ The Dakota Tavern, 9pm, $10.

Poor Man Parachute, Invisible College, Casey vs John, The Marbles, No Brigade, and Trapdoor @ Reverb, 8pm (start time), $10. All ages.

FRIDAY (23 jan)

Headspace @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

Friday Blues feat. The Riffs @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 7-10pm, free.

Crux of Aux, Caiiro Foster, Luau or Die @ Siesta Nouveaux (15 Lower Sherbourne), 10pm, pwyc. BYOB.

* Andrew Vincent (CD release) w/ Cam Malcolm @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

International Turpentine, Alun Piggins, and elf tv @ Renaissance Cafe, 9pm, pwyc.

Josh Cockerill & guests @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, $?

* Jerry Leger & the Situation w/ The John Henrys @ The Dakota Tavern, 10pm, $5.

Dedications (dance party) feat. DJs Bronson Lee and 47aks @ Augusta House, 10pm, $5. "Dedications is a dance party where you dedicate your favourite dancefloor hits to your favourite dancefloor friends and enemies. Your dedications are then broadcast to the dancefloor by hyper-intelligent computer screen or super-analogue human voice." Ha.

Purplelectricity Prince Party (19th ed.) w/ DJ doctor BAGGIE @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 11pm, $5.

DJ Rory Them Finest @ The Drake Hotel (Lounge), 10pm, $5.

* Modernboys Moderngirls, Amos the Transparent, Fox Jaws, and Afterparty @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, $5.

Buckets Of, Pacific Trash Vortex, and The Birthday Cakes @ The Press Club, 9pm, $5.

TWM presents Boxes & Bags, Our History of Cowboys, and Itchy Watery Eyes @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, $5.

* Machetes and Dead Sexy Sheila w/ DJ Vania @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, $5.

The Hots w/ Sonora Aero Club and DJ LoCash Outta Rehab @ Rok Boutique, 10pm, $5.

Pop With Brains Music & Art Series feat. Slave to the Squarewave, Sadie May Crash, Mookie Morris, Ender Bros, and Bellevue @ The Rivoli, 9pm, $5.

Strawman, Nagasaki, and POC @ Smiling Buddha Bar, 9pm, $5.

Johnny Hollow w/ Squid Lid @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 9pm, $5.

* Catl (CD release) w/ $100 and The Speaking Tongues @ The Silver Dollar Room, 9pm, $5. Woooo!

* Thurpt @ 12:30, Rakfusion @ 11:30, Flying Eyes @ 10:30, and GLO @ 9:30. Lee's Palace, $7.

Spandex Effect (Debut) w/ Yuka and Circle Research DJs @ Supermarket, 9pm, $8 (or $6 for students).

* FemBots @ 12:30, Harbourcoats @ 11:30, Tusks @ 10:30, and Greal Bloomers @ 9:30. The Horseshoe Tavern, 9pm, $7.

Leftover Daylight Series: Jurgenson, Hay, Attariwalla/Schoorl @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $8.

SATURDAY (24 jan)

The Hot Five Jazzmakers (residency) @ C'est What, 3pm (start time), $5.

Cadillac Ranch Country Matinee feat. tba @ Cadillac Lounge, 4-7pm.

Bill Colgate & the Urbane Guerillas feat. Cam MacInnes (residency) @ The Dominion on Queen, 4-7pm, pwyc.

Willow Rutherford & Guests @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 6pm, pwyc.

Live Country Saturdays feat. Laura Repo @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 7-10pm, free.

Red Rekords presents The Free Hip Hop Party, hosted by- Bozack Morris, w/ b-boy performance by Tricky Troublez, and feat. live performances by Riviera Regime, Concrete Mob, Anger Ville, Sporadic, Big Troopz, Scorsese, Rich Kid, Junia-T, King Jus, Alex Dimez, and Contraversy @ The Rivoli, 8pm, free.

Songs From A Room, The Bang Bangs, and Suppositories @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, free.

Tempting Murphy and Hayley Stark @ Free Times Cafe, 8:30pm.

* Robert Hedge (w/ full band) and The Wilderness of Manitoba @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

Two Foot Falls, Jesse Labelle, PC Keez, and DJ StarBoy @ Rok Boutique, 9pm.

The PhonicLab hosted by Trevor Mills feat. Louwop (AKA The Dirty General), Junia T, Miles Jones, and Wordpeople @ Rearview Mirror (ex Bread & Circus), 9pm, free.

The Jing Bang Show, Retro Radio, and Yardwork @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, $5.

FABRik RECorDs presents Aborted Ambition and The People of Canada @ The Casa Muerte Academy of Sciences, 9pm, $5.

Drake Classic presents The Ed Vokurta Ensemble @ The Drake Hotel (Lounge), 8pm, $5.

DJ Vitaminsforyou and others @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 10pm, $5.

* TWM presents The Balconies, Knock Knock Ginger, and The Action Mob @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, $5.

* Late Night Live feat. The Schomberg Fair, The Locusts Have No King, and Entire Cities @ The Silver Dollar Room, 10pm (late show), $5.

Hollywood Swank, Unbelievers, The Stiff Wires, and The Johnny Dumptrucks @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, $5.

tba @ 12:30, The Rest @ 11:30, Chasing Arcadia @ 10:30, and The Hollows @ 9:30. Lee's Palace, 9pm, $6.

Five Star Trailer Park and Moot @ C'est What, 9:30pm, $7.

* $100, Castlemusic, The Pauls, and Tamsen & Eliot @ 6 Nassau St., 9pm, $7. Benefit show for the venue.

* Receivers w/ Beth in Battle Mode @ The Velvet Underground, 8pm (early show), $7 (adv tix avail.)

Chris Assaad w/ Madison Sheane @ The Cameron House, 9pm, $8.

Big City Thieves, MicLordz & Sauce Funky, Capital H, Jaime Rosenberg Band, and Oral C @ Duffy's Tavern, 7pm, $10.

Smoke City Betties 'Fun-Raiser' w/ Maximum R'n'R and DCT @ Amsterdam Brewery (21 Bathurst), 8pm, $10.

Annuals w/ Jessica Lea Mayfield @ El Mocambo (First Floor), 9pm, $10.

The MORE Creative presents MORE Detroit feat. Agile and Boogeyme'n, hosted by Tona & Richie Henessy @ Augusta House, 10pm, free (before 11pm, $10 before midnight, and $15 after).

SUNDAY (25 jan)

Switchback Road (bluegrass) @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 5-8pm, free.

Woolly Leaves and The Leonids @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 1pm, pwyc.

Laura Hubert @ Mitzi's Sister, 5-7pm, pwyc.

Michael Brennan, Steve Briggs, and Rob Clark (residency) @ Graffiti's Bar & Grill, 4-7pm, pwyc.

John Borra & Sam Ferrara (residency) @ The Communist's Daughter, 5pm, pwyc.

Robbie Burns Night @ Free Times Cafe, 8pm, free.

The Anna Leighs (2 sets) w/ Chris Chambers @ Rearview Mirror (formerly Bread & Circus, 193 1/2 Baldwin St.), 8pm, free.

Tundra Fun and @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10:30pm, pwyc.

* Wavelength 447 feat. Oh No Forest Fires, Adolf Glitter, and The Weirdies, hosted by Doc Pickles, w/ visuals by General Chaos @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, pwyc.

* Gather Round feat. Hamilton Trading Co. @ The Boat, 9pm, pwyc.

Christine Duncan's Element Choir (residency) @ Somewhere There, 6-8pm, $8.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Pick of the week 2: Zunior (the little digital music store).

I'm sitting at my dining room table, my laptop in front of me, taking notes on photocopies of YMCA documents from 1918. Although the contents of the reports, letters, articles, and other materials is potentially interesting---I'm learnin', after all---the note-taking process is tedious, and there's no end in sight to all the work I have to do to get through all this paper. Because taking notes doesn't require as much concentration as other tasks, I'm listening to music which I do it. Right now, the Swede Jens Lekman, but earlier I was on a Toronto indie folk-tinged kick: Forest City Lovers, Great Lake Swimmers, Basia Bulat, The Wooden Sky, Timber Timbre, and others. It reminded me that a lot of the music I listen to every day isn't available in physical form outside Toronto. If Canadian indie music is your obsession---like it is mine---your one-stop digital shop for a lot of great music is Zunior. The website's team is really on top of all things indie in this country. This website has been growing in recent months, with the addition of new features like live recordings over at Zunior.tv. I've been downloading the free Zunior compilations for over a year now, and have discovered some great bands through it. So, cheers to Zunior! It's my download site of choice for legal music. It's where I got my virtual hands on the $100 disk, one of my favourites of 2008.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Woah! Gordo is looking for Toronto music and show info . . . and so am I.

I've been asked to put a call out to local (Toronto) bands who are interested in getting their music played on an online radio program called Woah! Gordo. The show airs Thursday evenings, 7-9pm, over at IndieLove. Bands can send their concert announcements and music to michaelnovalskiATgmailDOTcom. Woah! Gordo also puts on local music showcases and dance parties.

And, while you're at it, feel free to get in touch with me (historyjenATgmailDOTcom) with the same stuff. Venues and promoters are not always good at getting the word out about shows, so if you're a band with a show coming up ($10 or less), let me know the weekend before and I'll include the info in my listings come Monday. The podcast works better when I've got the music on my Zune than when I have to rely on MySpace tracks.

Podcast 24 (12-18 Jan 2009).

Tyler and Jen welcomed Ben, Branko, and Joel from Dinosaur Bones to the podcast for an interview and general hilarity. The guys chose the songs we played. Featuring songs by The People of Canada ("Life"), Oh No Forest Fires ("Swing and a Misdemeanor"), Skeleton Me ("I'm On Fire"), Dinosaur Bones ("N.Y.E."), and Black Hat Brigade ("Whale Falls").

Download this and other episodes here (or just no. 24 here)
Listen at Zygiella
Subscribe through iTunes

Next week on the podcast Matt Bahen from The Schomberg Fair will be our guest. He promises to bring his guitar. Yipee!

Indie Music 65 (12-18 Jan 2009).

Like this list? Join my Google Group to get my weekly Toronto indie music listings. Or, the Facebook group. Subscribe to my weekly podcast (or download the episodes) here, or through iTunes. Or just listen to the latest one, and all the other ones, at Zygiella. Make sure to check the rest of this blog for show reviews and photos, giveaways, and downloads.

Welcome to my weekly roundup of inexpensive indie(ish) musical happenings in downtown Toronto, all for $10 or less. I try to list as many shows here as I know about, though this list is not comprehensive. If I'm missing something or you have any comments, let me know.

Saw a string of really good Canadian indie bands last week... of note: Burn Planetarium, Gregory Pepper & his Problems (!), Forest City Lovers, The D'Urbervilles, Hexes & Ohs, Winter Gloves, Green Go, and Sports: The Band. Hard to beat, especially since $5 + $10 + pwyc = a lot of music for not a lot of money. I haven't made any decisions about this week, though I'll most likely be out on Saturday and Sunday, and perhaps on Wednesday too.

On the podcast this week Tyler and I welcomed Ben, Branko, and Joel from Dinosaur Bones. I'll let you know the details about the show when it's posted on the internet. More new and exciting guests in the coming weeks.

This week Wednesday through Sunday all look pretty good, with some stellar offerings for both the 19+ and the all ages set. I'll hit up the Tranzac, the Boat, the Horseshoe, Rancho, and Sneaks over the course of the week. Actually, let's put some of those in the maybe column. Rolly's Garage on Saturday afternoon looks like a must, though. Where will you be?

MONDAY (12 jan)

Angela Bower (AKA Christine Bougie & Dafydd Hughes; residency) @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7pm, pwyc.

Shoeless Mondays feat. Earthtone @ 11:15, Metro 4 @ 10:15, and One Divided @ 9:15. The Horseshoe Tavern, 8:30pm, free.

Elvis Monday feat. Bill Priddle (The Priddle Concern), Curtis Santiago, Royal So & Sos, Whole Entire Universe, Halleluya @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 9pm, free.

Rattlesnake Choir (residency) @ The Dakota Tavern, 10pm, free.

Slowdance (weekly party) w/ Friends Explode DJs @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, free.

* Unheard Of Mondays feat. Allison Cameron / Eric Chenaux, Wodwos, and Lakeland Poets @ Tranzac (Tiki Room), 8pm, pwyc. Curated by Thom Gill all month long.

Panic Density feat. Segger/Segger @ Tequila Bookworm, 9pm, pwyc.

Bryan Arcand (residency) w/ The Jing Bang Show @ The Cameron House (Front Room), 9:30pm, pwyc.

TUESDAY (13 jan)

Chloe Charles & friends @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 8-10pm, free.

The Edge 102.1 Dave Bookman's Nu Music Nite feat. Saint Even @ 11:40, Aidan @ 10:50, Woodward & Co @ 10:00, and A Thousand Cures @ 9:10. The Horseshoe Tavern, 8:30pm, free.

The Pink & Black Attack presents Detroit and tba @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, free.

The Boogie Down hosted by Lybido (weekly party) feat. DJs Standfast, Splattermonkey, and Matt Medley @ Augusta House, 9pm, free.

Paul Linklater & His Murmurers (residency) @ The Cameron House (Front Room), 7-9pm, pwyc.

Alexandra Ribera & band (residency) @ The Cameron House (Front Room), 10pm, free.

Klessa, Teadora Nikolova, and Antler @ The Oxford Hotel (117 Oxford St.), 6pm, pwyc.

St. Dirt Elementary School (residency) @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

Best of the Open Stage w/ Walker, Marni Levitt, Myke Mazzei, Rob Elder @ Free Times Cafe, 8pm, pwyc.

J.F. Lessard, Amelie Lefevbre, and Willow Rutherford @ Tranzac (Tiki Room), 8pm, pwyc.

Cluttertones @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

Dean's Dragon @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, pwyc.

The Sure Things (residency) @ Cock & Tail, 10pm, pwyc.

Alicia Sales, Brian Tulk, Libby McGrath, and more @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 9pm, $5.

Winhara w/ The Clear @ Supermarket, 9pm, $5.

The Diction, This, and CRoSS @ Smiling Buddha, 9:30pm, $5.

Lindsay Ell w/ tba @ C'est What, 9:30pm, $6.

WEDNESDAY (14 jan)

* Steam Whistle Unsigned Art Show: Live Music Photography Exhibit feat. photos by Zach Slootsky, Corbin Smith, Phil Ogynist, and Robert Coilfi, w/ DJ Vanessa Fischer (Lioness) @ Steam Whistle Brewing (The Roundhouse, 255 Bremner Blvd), 6-11pm, RSVP to rsvp@steamwhistle.ca.

Acoustic Espionage @ Silver Dollar, 6-9pm, free. Weekly songwriters open stage event, hosted by Tim Harrison and Noah Zacharin. Plus, "$3.99 Buffet with purchase of any Amsterdam product." Followed by High Lonesome Wednesdays w/ Crazy Strings (bluegrass music), 9:30pm.

Bump It feat. Yo-Ev and So Soft (weekly party) @ Augusta House, 9pm, free.

Rock 'n Roll Pornography w/ Guitar Hero live on stage (weekly event), and DJ Billy Geek @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, free.

Laura Repo (residency) @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

PWYC Weds feat. Oscar Brown, A Young Wife, and The Ostrich Tuning @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, pwyc.

Bonsai Foresty and Heavy Water @ Rearview Mirror, 9pm, pwyc.

Alysse Rich & the Family Singers, Daniel Field @ Free Times Cafe, 8pm, pwyc.

Kevin Hearn @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

Blood Runs Cold @ 11:40, Moondog Uproar @ 10:50, Bombs @ 10:00, and Jell @ 9:10. The Horseshoe Tavern, 8:30pm, $4.

Cappelletto-McEleney Quintet @ Concord Cafe, 9pm, $5.

* Tropics, Huckleberry Friends, Wyrd Visions, and The Pauls @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, $5.

* Wombat Wednesdays feat. Chris Eakins, Hobson's Choice, Entire Cities, The Owle Bird @ Tranzac (Main Hall), 8pm, $5. This month is programmed by Dwight Schenk, and cover also gets you a copy of his new solo album, _Natural Disasters_. Go early and stay late for this one.

The Sure Things (residency) @ The Dakota Tavern, 10pm, $5?

Groovesmith w/ The St. George Circus @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 9pm, $5.

* Pitter Patter Nights presents The Champion Heartache, Innes Wilson & his Opposition, and Born to Busk @ The Boat, 9pm, $5.

Mike Evin, Brent Randall & his Pinecones, and Howie Kislowicz @ Supermarket, 9pm, $6.

Andrea Ramolo w/ Lickpenny Loafer and Christina Maria @ Rok Boutique, 9pm.

The Key Frames w/ Tin Roof Rusted @ C'est What, 9:30pm, $7.

Orchestre Royal Odradek (DC release) and Disguises @ Somewhere There, 8pm, $8.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson @ El Mocambo, $8 (adv tix avail.).

Pop Girl 7 feat. Sarah-Jean Villa, Cassandra, Lily C., Leah, Miss Teasa, and more @ Smiling Buddha Bar, 7:30pm, $10.

THURSDAY (15 jan)

* Timber Timbre (in-store) @ Soundscapes, 7pm, free. The new Timber Timbre album's out this week, and it's beautiful.

Chris Banks and Chris Vale @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

Dave & Levi (jazz standards) @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 8-10pm, free.

Sky Shark and People Of Canada @ Cock & Tail, 9pm, free.

Ancient Chinese Secret (residency) @ The Cadillac Lounge, 7:30pm, free.

Pat Robitaille and Michou @ The Arbor Room (Hart House, U of T), 9pm, free.

Eden w/ Roman Tome @ Mitzi's Sister, 9pm, pwyc (pass the hat).

Live Jazz Thursdays feat. Jessica Stuart Few @ Tequila Bookworm, 9pm, pwyc.

* Honest I's, Mina May, Horses, and Pacific Trash Vortex @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, pwyc.

* Jordaan Mason & the Horse Museum, Klessa, Sarah D., Whatever Jailer, and Teadora Nikolova @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 9:30pm, pwyc.

* Bret Caswell & the Marquee Rose, Shelby Lamb, and The Key Frames @ El Mocambo, 9pm, pwyc.

The New Kings (residency) @ 751 Queen St. W. (basement), 10pm, pwyc.

Alicia Sales, Mandippal Jandu, and more @ Holy Joe's, 8pm, $5.

Montague Street w/ Save this City @ Smiling Buddha Bar, 8:30pm, $5.

* Dance Electric, The Guest Bedroom, and Pace the Stairs @ El Mocambo (Upstairs), 9pm, $5.

The Yage Letters and Extinct or Alive @ The Boat, 9pm, $5.

* The Apollo Effect, Picturesound, and The Vestaloynes @ The Silver Dollar Room, 9pm, $5.

Dirty Chinese Thieves and Voodoo Bunny @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, $5.

Mike Lynch w/ Stewed Roots @ C'est What, 9:30pm, $5.

White Girl @ Augusta House, 10pm, $5.

Toronto City Roots presents The Billie Hollies, Nonie Crete, and Rae Billing @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 9pm, $6.

Simeon Abbott, Saltarelli / Heidt, and Car Fur Omelette @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $6.

The Johnnys and Second Pass @ Rok Boutique, 9pm, $6 (or free before 10pm).

7th Heaven presents JD Twitch w/ Andrew Allsgood @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 10pm, $7.

Street Pharmacy and Mean Tangerine @ Tattoo Rock Parlour, 9pm, $8.

Sean Jones w/ Dale Luarca @ Supermarket, 9pm, $8.

Inertia Entertainment presents Psyopus, Titan, and Vilipend @ The Annex WreckRoom, 8pm, $10.

FRIDAY (16 jan)

Matt Humphries @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 8-10pm, free.

Andrew DeVillers @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 7:30pm, pwyc.

Mechanical Flowers and tba @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

Porte, Real Cops, and Thee 9am Social @ The Press Club, 9pm, pwyc.

The Calrizians @ Cloak & Dagger, pwyc.

Barbie Wire (DJs) @ Rearview Mirror, 8pm.

RTRD'D (monthly party) presents Back to So Cold feat. DJs Friends Explode and Famous Players @ Augusta House, 10pm, $5.

LAUGHstock presents The Smile, Whiskey Priest, Please Standby, and Blind Cats @ Annies on Queen, 8pm, $5.

Distance Between Stars, Love You To Death, Aberdeen, and Turn Off the Stars, w/ DJs Matt Medley and Danny Nagels @ El Mocambo (First Floor), 9pm, $5.

* Pop Noir (monthly party, debut) feat. OPOPO @ The Boat, 10pm, $5.

The Calrizians @ The Dakota Tavern, 9pm, $5.

Movement, hosted by Tweed (weekly party) @ The Annex WreckRoom, 10pm, $5 (or free w/ student ID).

* Owl Eyes, Thom Gill, and Carnival Moon @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 8pm, $5.

DJ Skratch Bastid w/ Rory Them Finest @ The Drake Hotel (Lounge), 8pm, $5.

Whitney Spears (dance party) feat. Le Freak C'est Keek and Gangbangas Countess Christmasher @ Supermarket, 10pm, $5 (after 11pm).

DMoney presents Edumacation w/ DJs Fase, Ritz, and hosted by Taboo @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 11pm, $5.

The Organ Thieves, Hijack Delta, and Gentlemen Husbands, w/ DJ Vania @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, $5.

The Starship Experience, The Low Heroes, The Grim Preachers, and Shemp @ Smiling Buddha, 8pm, $5ish.

TWM presents Romeo Liquor Store, Purr, Corduroy, and Wildlife @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, $6.

Hobson's Choice, The Jessice Stuart Few, and Justin Dunlop @ The Renaissance Cafe, 9pm, $6.

Lost Innocence, Cold Dead Hands, and My Flea Circus @ Rok Boutique, 9pm, $6 (or free before 10pm).

Leftover Daylight presents Johnson / Schoorl / Thomson, Fisher / Peterson / Salimi, and Salek / Storring @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $6.

Shaman's Revival, Earsz, Mermen Attack, and Sandman Viper Command @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, $7.

Diemonds, Drunkula, Birthday Boys, Left of Zero, and Dean Lickyer @ The Horseshoe Tavern, 9pm, $7.

NxNE present The Keep Six Tour feat. El Da Sensei & the Returners, Ghettosocks, Toolshed, Wordburglar, Freshkils, and Alex Dimez @ Silver Dollar, 10pm, $8.

Bruised Shins, Blistered Fingers: An Instant Composition feat. dance by Neil Sochasky, music by Aaron Lumley with lighting environments by Anna Silverstein @ Red Brick Studio (6 Nassau St.), 7:30pm, $8.

The Hemis, Sisters of Mercy, and Jay Pollock @ The Cameron House (Back Room), 10pm, $?

Hotboxx presents Burning Candy, Adam Evil, Unknown Culprits, Mule Skinner, and Signe Miranda @ The Rivoli, 8pm, $10.

Slowcoaster @ 12:00, Dr DFunkt @ 11:00, and Aaron Collier @ 10:00. Lee's Palace, 9pm, $10.

SATURDAY (17 jan)

Afternoon:

* Dapslove presents All Ages Vol. 1 feat. Oh No Forest Fires, Golden Girls, Skeleton Me, The Bicycles, and Tonka & Puma @ Rolly's Garage, 2-7pm, $7 (or $6 adv at Soundscapes). Great!!

Cadillac Ranch Country Matinee feat. tba @ Cadillac Lounge, 4-7pm.

Evening:

Country Saturday feat. Joanne MacKell & the Paradise Rangers @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 6-9pm, free.

Willow Rutherford w/ FM High Low @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 6pm, pwyc.

Friendship (Friends Explode DJs) @ The Ossington, 10pm, free.

Three Times Fast @ Tequila Bookworm, 9pm, pwyc. "The music of Ellington and Monk."

* Great Aunt Ida w/ Michael Holt @ Mitzi's Sister, 10pm, pwyc.

Colleen & Paul (Witchbelly) w/ Tiiu @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10pm, pwyc.

Must Stash Hat and Tetris Holdem @ The Imperial Pub, 10pm, $3.

Bangers & Mash (DJ night) @ Rearview Mirror, 9pm.

Adopted Refugees @ The Poor Alex Theatre, 9pm.

Drake Classic presents Roberto Rosenman @ The Drake Hotel (Lounge), 8pm, $5.

Bad Skin, The Clusterbombs, Rackshot, and Thrashards @ Annies On Queen, 9pm, $5.

Raygun Cowboys and Rehad for Quitters, w/ DJ Vania @ The Bovine Sex Club, 9pm, $5.

The Sherbourne Canons, House of Commons, and more @ Smiling Buddha Bar, 9pm, $5.

Pop Rocks w/ DJ Dwight (weekly party) @ The Annex WreckRoom, 10pm, $5 (or free w/ student ID).

My Shaky Jane and Little Foot Long Foot @ The Press Club, 10pm, $5.

DJ Jaime Sin @ The Drake Hotel (Lounge), 10pm, $5.

* Saddle Up! (country & western dance party) @ Canadian Corps Legion Hall (201 Niagara), 10pm, $5.

Goin' Steady (50s and 60s dance party) @ The Boat, 10pm, $5.

Lickin' Good Fried @ The Dakota Tavern, 10pm, $5?

YO! Remember the '90s? (monthly party) feat. DJs Dale Cooper, Uncle Phil, and Dylan McKay @ Augusta House, 10pm, $5.

* Late Night Live feat. The Hunting Horns, Priya Thomas, and Revolvers @ The Silver Dollar Room, 10pm, $5.

Lipstick, Cherry w/ DJ Pammm and Dynasty DJs (monthly party) @ The Drake Hotel (Underground), 11pm, $5.

Do Right! Saturdays (dance party) feat. DJs Fase, John Kong, Circle Research, and MC Abdominal @ Supermarket, 10pm, $5 (before 11pm).

* TWM presents The Odysseys, That's the Spirit, Olenka & the Autumn Lovers, and Shawn Jurek @ Rancho Relaxo, 9pm, $6.

Jarod Parlee w/ Jane Carmichael @ Free Times Cafe, 9pm, $6.

neither/nor feat. Mark Sherlock, Mark Couroux, Rob Clutton, Eldritch Priest, and Doug Tielli @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $6.

Base War 13 (dance party) feat. STA, Errol vs Knifehandchop, Gingy, and DVSN @ Z (822 Dundas St. W), 10pm, $7 (or $5 for groups of 3 or more).

* Invasions (CD release) w/ The Ghost is Dancing and Mother Murder @ The Velvet Underground, 8pm-11:15pm (early show), $7 (adv tix avail.)

* Dinosaur Bones (1 year anniv party), The Junction, Black Hat Brigade, and The Paint Movement @ The Horseshoe Tavern, 9pm, $7.

Sherry-Lynn Birthday Show @ Holy Joe's, 8pm, $8.

Invasions w/ The Good Times, The Svens, The Effens @ The Velvet Underground, 5pm-8:15pm (super early show), $10 (adv tix avail.). All ages.

Hardpressed to Print presents An InPrint Collective Fundraiser feat. Ten Thousand Creatures & Benhur, Kendal Thompson, Jeremy Gontier (Stirling), and Scotty Stiles @ The Cameron House, 9pm, $10.

Hotboxx presents 1867 @ 12:15, Little Sunday @ 11:30, Broken Sons @ 10:45, Above It All @ 10:00, and Rockafellers @ 9:15. Lee's Palace, 9pm, $10.

Surf and Turf feat. Tennessee Voodoo Coupe w/ The Vondells, and DJ “Surfin” Dave Faris @ The Cadillac Lounge, 9pm, $10.

The Next Best Thing (TNBT) feat. Lazy Slang and DJ Themes @ The Rivoli, 9:30pm, $10.

Jane's Party w/ The Ben Young Trio @ C'est What, 10pm, $10.

SUNDAY (18 jan)

Afternoon:

Les Singes Bleus @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 1pm, pwyc.

Makita Hack & the Logrollers @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 5-8pm, free.

Michael Brennan, Steve Briggs, and Rob Clark (residency) @ Graffiti's Bar & Grill, 4-7pm, pwyc.

Scotty Campbell Country Matinee @ The Cadillac Lounge, 4-7pm, pwyc.

The Calzirians @ Rearview Mirror, 4pm, pwyc.

The Liquidaires @ Mitzi's Sister, 5-7pm, pwyc.

Ainsley McNeany @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 5pm, pwyc.

John Borra & Sam Ferrara (residency) @ The Communist's Daughter, 5pm, pwyc.

Evening:

Katelyn Dawn @ The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar), 8-10pm, free.

Gordon's Acoustic Living Room @ Free Times Cafe, 8pm, free.

* Wavelength 446 feat. Steamboat, Romo Roto, and Lanterns, w/ visuals by General Chaos, and hosted by Doc Pickles @ Sneaky Dee's, 9pm, pwyc ($5-$10 sugg).

Gather Round feat. Hamilton Trading Co. w/ Gloria Song @ The Boat, 9pm, pwyc.

Rob Clutton (Bass), Pierre-Yves Martel (viola da gamba) & Brandon Valdivia (Drums) perform solo sets @ Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), 10:30pm, pwyc.

The Beauties (residency) @ The Dakota Tavern, 10:30pm.

Christine Duncan's Element Choir (residency) @ Somewhere There, 6-8pm, $6.

NOW Series feat. David Sait and Germain Liu @ Somewhere There, 8-10pm, $6.

* Dan Burke and No Shame present Marianne Dissard: a Dinner Show @ The Dakota Tavern, 6:30pm-9pm, $10 (admit two, adv tix avail.)

Monday, January 12, 2009

Ticket/CD Giveaway: Dinosaur Bones 1 Year Anniversary Party, 17 Jan @ The Horseshoe.

I've got a belated new year's gift for you... a chance to win a Dinosaur Bones prize pack! This young band is celebrating its 1 year anniversary with an exciting show at the Horseshoe, one of the best live music venues in the city. The Junction, Black Hat Brigade, and The Paint Movement are on the Saturday, 17 January bill too, so it promises to be an indie rock blowout.

The prize pack includes a spot on the guestlist for you and a friend, a copy of the Dinosaur Bones EP, and band pins, plus a copy of the show poster too (probably)! I saw this band perform a while back at Tattoo Rock Parlour and they impressed with their tight, catchy rock hooks and an energetic performance. (Oh, and I liked singer Ben's curly locks, too.) Take a listen to most of the EP on the band's MySpace site. Saturday night at the Horseshoe with a handful of fun indie rock bands... sounds good to me!

For a chance at the big prize, e-mail me at historyjenATgmailDOTcom with your full name in the body of the message and "DBones" in the subject line. I'll accept entries until the end of Thursday, and notify the winner on Friday. You'll pick up the EP and buttons when you get to the venue. Doors are at 9pm this coming Saturday. If you don't win, you can still go help celebrate this great young band for only $7 at the door.

[Thanks to Andres Hannah-Suarez for the photo. You can see the rest of the pics from the Dinosaur Bones' 8 November show at the Horseshoe at his Flickr account.]
UPDATE: I got a winner! Congrats to Wendy L.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Pick of the Week 1: Tranzac (me) / Ketch Harbour Wolves (The R.O.B.).

Me and some folks over at the Toronto Music Blog Collective are starting a new series: Pick of the Week. The plan is for each participating blogger to choose something relevant---album, band, show, whatever---each week to share with our readers. Here's my first one.

This weekend I'm recommending the Tranzac Club. On Friday, there's a semi-formal dress Rock 'n' Roll Anniversary in the Main Hall with Mantler, Gravity Wave, and Wax Mannequin. Or else Nick Rose and The Stables in the front room. Come Saturday, spend the afternoon with Hexes & Ohs, Winter Gloves, Green Go, Sports: The Band, and Maylee Todd. Amazing! And at night celebrate Out of This Spark's anniversary with the record label's artists, including Forest City Lovers, The D'Urbervilles, Timber Timbre, and Jenny Omnichord. Pretty much anything going on at Tranzac this week, and every week, will add goodness to your musical diet, and will leave you feeling superior, like you're in on a well-kept secret. The Tranzac is a musician's venue more than any other place.
And here's Rob's:



1. Let me take the opportunity to tell you how great it feels to be a syndicated columnist... it feels great.... really really, great (it should be noted that any future reading of "great... really really, great" should be read as Toby from Seinfeld - the heckler who Jerry heckles back in "The Fire").

2. You know what else is great... really really, great? Ketch Harbour Wolves and their debut EP Dead Calm Horizon.

3. They sound like, I think, a really cool combination between this year's it band Fleet Foxes and the under appreciated Scottish band Frightened Rabbit (who you might note is one of Allan's favs). The EP, which is a total of 7 songs, is incredibly solid from beginning to end, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a wasted minute in the 28 minute (29 if you round up) recording... which, sadly, makes it a minute too short to be eligible for the Polaris Prize.

4. It was 1c on my Best Albums of '08, but I'm definitely not alone in thinking they are... wait for it... great... really really, great. It was Herohill's favourite EP of the year, i(heart)music's favourite recording of the year, and Sean from Everything is Pop recently sent me a note thanking me for the recommendation. Basically, people who like music really like this album, and I think each of us had a different favourite song - or at least posted a different song.

5. I went to go see them live last Saturday and were good, not great, just a little messy in spots. And I felt terrible about writing that since: a) I really think the band is terrific; b) I typically feel really bad about saying bad things about small bands; c) I don't want to discourage anyone from going to see them, because they are still worth seeing, and d) Jon (from the band) sent me an email after I posted the review thanking me for writing a fair and "even handed review". That said, I now think: e) Jon and the guys are pretty chilled out and seem like really good dudes, and; f) are on their way to be a formidable live band, which, I suspect will be a chilling live experience once it all comes together.

6. The most insane thing? They're giving their entire EP away for free.

7. At the show I bought a t-shirt and its really slick. American Apparel black with shiny-metallic gold lettering gold and logo (to the best of my knowledge they're not available anywhere on-line). Awesome. Now all I need is metallic gold pants to wear it with.

8. My two favourites:

"So Long to the Ground" and "Letters" (for mp3s go here).

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Podcast 23 (7-11 Jan 2009).

Katie Stelmanis ("In My Favour"), The Lovely Killbots ("Little Shape"), The Stables ("Darkness [demo]"), Gravity Wave ("Buffalo Jump"), Hexes & Ohs ("Head Over Heels [Tears for Fears cover]"), and Gregory Pepper & His Problem ("It Must Be True").

Next week: special musician guest(s)! Get excited!

Listen at Zygiella
Download the podcast
RSS (subscribe and download this and past podcasts)
iTunes (subscribe)

Monday, January 05, 2009

My favourite things, 2008.

2008 was a good year for me. If you know me well or follow this blog closely, you might know that I moved away from my former hobbies and hangouts, and got more entrenched in the indie music scene here in Toronto. It's been amazing, and a completely positive change in my life. Rather than a couple of "best" lists, I thought I'd do a rundown of some of my favourite things. Most of these will be indie music related, of course. (I wouldn't call my dissertation a fave at the moment, haha.)

Bands:

Great Lake Swimmers. Back in June I went to my first NxNE. On the Friday I spent all afternoon at the Kelp Records/Saved by Radio BBQ, and while there introduced myself to Gentleman Reg's drummer, whom I recognized (probably because he's adorable). He told me he was playing that night with GLS. Come later that night, I was enjoying Oh No Forest Fires with a friend, and GLS were on right after, in the venue just next door. He is a big fan, and although I wasn't familiar with the band at that point, I figured what the heck, and off we went. Great Lake Swimmers had the 10pm slot at the Reverb, a dark, mid-sized room with floor to ceiling glass-block windows. There was a wicked thunder and lightning storm outside, and as the band performed a tight 35-minute set of beautiful folk music, I could make out thunder claps and see lighting flash. It was surreal. Amazing. I have been listening to GLS albums ever since, and was front and centre for their Lee's Palace tour ending show which I took myself to on my birthday. GLS also makes my list for 2008 because one of my favourite t-shirts is one of theirs. It looks good on me.

Born Ruffians. I spent more time missing Born Ruffians in concert than I did seeing them perform in 2008, but I finally saw a full set of theirs at their sold out Opera House show on 1 November. Let me explain: I had to leave not far into Born Ruffians' set at Lee's Palace back in March (for a good reason; no regrets). And I had to miss almost all their performance at Soundscapes in the summer (for a good reason; no regrets). But come the fall I was determined nothing could get in the way of me seeing this band, who put out one of my favourite records of the past year. The two openers put on good showings, entertaining the all ages crowd musically and otherwise, and filling the stage with their many members each. (Eight or nine, I believe.) But Born Ruffians commanded the stage that night. The band's three members put on a fantastic show. One of the top performances I saw in 2008, with records I spend a lot of time with.

$100. I am obsessed with this band, and have been for a few months. Tyler introducted me to them when we played a song of theirs on our podcast in June. I went to their packed CD release show at the Horseshoe a month later, and have been seeing them every chance I get since then. The set they played in the basement of Sonic Boom was perhaps my favourite one of theirs, but Sneaky Dee's and Silver Dollar were great, too. I bought their album off Zunior in October because I just needed to have it. This is a rare thing for me. Such a great band.

Shows:

Fucked Up w/ Final Fantasy, $100, Vivian Girls, and Katie Stelmanis @ Sneaky Dee's; afterparty feat. Lullabye Arkestra and LSDoubleDCup @ Rancho Relaxo, 30 Oct. I didn't really get Vivian Girls, though they were entertaining. The rest of the lineup was fantastic, though! This show was my introduction to hardcore, and it was awesome! Crazy night.

Think About Life
w/ Miracle Fortress, Ruby Coast, and Adam & the Amethysts @ Sneaky Dee's, 26 July. Holy crap. I came home after this show and quite literally collapsed onto the floor of my apartment. (And I hadn't had a drop of alcohol all night.) Multiple mosh pits and crazy dancing and great performances from these Montreal and Toronto bands made for one insanely good show which completed wiped me out. The crowd went insane during TAL. I had never seen anything like it before. I really need to see this band again, but I really need to stay away from the front when I do. The other bands I'd all seen before, and in the case of Ruby Coast, since as well. The Miracle Fortress album was one I listened to a lot in 2008.

Cuff the Duke w/ Bruce Peninsula and The Stables @ The Horseshoe Tavern, 22 Aug. I bought the Cuff the Duke album at Criminal Records from (as it turned out) the band's lead singer Wayne Petti himself in late 2007, just on a whim, after having heard good things. I don't think I bought a single CD at a record store in 2008, so really this was a rare thing for me to do. When I got home and listened, I knew I'd made the right decision. I didn't get a chance to see the band perform until August, however, when they had a two-night stand at the Horseshoe. I went on the Friday, to a show which featured openers the Stables (hockey stick upright bass! suitcase drum kit!) and Bruce Peninsula (!!). The reviewer for NOW Magazine though Bruce Peninsula upstaged the headliners, but I disagree. Cuff the Duke... man, those guys are awesome. Just awesome. It was exciting to see one of my favourite bands play at the Horseshoe, a fantastic venue for the right bands, and I was of course front and centre, taking it all in. And if I didn't have a crush on Wayne Petti before (not true), I certainly did after (still true).

Other great sets. The Acorn @ Lee's Palace, 27 Nov; The Golden Hands Before God... @ Rancho Relaxo, 22 Dec; Two Hours Traffic @ WhipperSnapper Gallery, 28 Nov; Laura Barrett w/ Ghost Bees @ Tranzac, 21 Sep; Bruce Peninsula, Muskox, and Timber Timbre @ St.-Andrew-by-the-Lake, 20 Jul; Basia Bulat @ Lee's Palace, 29 Mar; any and all Tin Bangs shows; any and all Woodhands shows.

Shows in backyards, living rooms, record stores, and on rooftops and sidewalks. I need to do more of this kind of thing. There are a handful of regular, alternative venues in the downtown core, as well as special events which bring with them increased use of alternative spaces. Venues that aren't bars but play host to shows, like the Music Gallery and WhipperSnapper Gallery, are great and allow for fans of all ages to enjoy good music. But for me it's extra great when you get to see a great band in someone's backyard or living room. I never got out to Delaware House in 2008, but one of my best show memories is when I sat on the grass and was enthralled by Ketch Harbour Wolves and Howl (Provincial Parks) at The Oxford Hotel in Kensington Market. The one Extermination Music Night I got to was pretty much over when I arrived---the police were already in evidence. I saw a good number of bands at Sonic Boom, Criminal Records, and Soundscapes. In-stores are great for a free introduction to a good band.

Shows in other cities. Woodhands in Pittsburgh, and Okkervil River w/ Shearwater in Berlin. I went to Pop Montreal this year, and that was cool (obviously). But what I mean here is really when Max and I drove to Pittsburgh to see Woodhands (because we are crazy) and when Farzana and I saw Shearwater and Okkervil River in Berlin. The Woodhands road-trip was super fun, the highlight of which was us looking completely out of place in a Pittsburgh venue. To those US kids we looked like crazy uber hipsters or something. But we didn't care and busted out some prime dancing moves for their opening slot. We stayed for the rest of the show, and loved Ra Ra Riot, too. The show I went to in Berlin featured two American bands from Austin who used to share members, but who had not played a show together in years. This was a special night for them, and one I will not soon forget. Amazing. Shearwater impressed me and left me wanting more. Okkervil River was just dazzling. Will Sheff is a force of nature on stage. What a great night of music. And now I know that Berlin indie kids look pretty much like Toronto indie kids, but that there aren't too many indie kids in Pittsburgh, at least not on a Tuesday night. [The photo is of Max, me, and Paul Banwatt from Woodhands.]

Festivals. I missed the Drake's What's In the Box?, but I loved what I saw of CMW (1 show: Sloan, Meligrove Band, Pony Da Look, and Will Currie & the Country French), Pitter Patter Fest (1 show: Classic Indie Albums Live: Neutral Milk Hotel's Aeroplane Over the Sea, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Great Bloomers, and Sister Suvi), Over the Top (1 show: Woodhands, Bobby Birdman, and Skeleton Me), NxNE (lots, but especially Great Lake Swimmers, The Diableros, The Pack A.D.), and Pop Montreal (lots, but especially The Sunparlour Players and Woodhands). The Wavelength anniversary and the TWM fest were great, too.

Rancho Relaxo. In 2008 this venue, with Dan Wolovick as booker, solidified its place at the premier venue in the city for local indie music. There are more thoughtfully curated $5 shows here every week than at any other venue, making this a haven for indie fans, the kind of place you might drop in just to see what's what. You won't find the fringes of the indie music scene on display here, but you will find a welcoming atmosphere and lots of friendly faces week after week. In recent months I haven't gone as much as I used to, but I always feel at home at Rancho, and a lot of other people do too. I saw some fantastic performances here in 2008, either booked by Dan (The Speaking Tongues, the Golden Hands Before God..., The Details, Tin Bangs, Oh No Forest Fires, The Schomberg Fair, Beth in Battle Mode), or by Lauren Schreiber under the No Shame banner (the RAA, Green Go, The Magic, Laura Barrett, Ghost Bees).

Wavelength @ Sneaky Dee's, every Sunday, and the whole WL gang. This long-running weekly music series gets me out of my apartment way too often on Sunday nights when I really should be dissertating or getting my listings finished and posted. But I just love it so. The four bookers of the series are each big boosters of the local music scene, and they define indie the way I do, to include a wide range of music, from the experimental fringe to punk to young pop and everything in between. One never knows what to expect at Wavelength, and that's one of the main reasons to keep going, week after week. That, and I love the Wavelengthers and the regulars. (They like me back. Check it out. And again.)

People:

Paul Banwatt. Paul is one of my favourite people, and he just so happens to be in two of my most favourite bands: Woodhands and the Rural Alberta Advantage. I've see these groups many times---pretty much whenever they play in town, and sometimes when they play out of town---and hope to see them both again many more times in 2009. Woodhands is amazing. Hands down the best live dance band right now that I know of. And the RAA put out one of my favourite albums of 2008, in Hometowns. I listen to it a lot, and pretty much everyone I know does the same. As they should. The RAA's been playing a couple new songs at recent shows, so I'm hoping a new album is (perhaps slowly) in the works. Paul is also half responsible for the Trekzac Festicon, which was kinda the most fun I had all year.

Tyler Wade. Ah, Tyler. He is my podcast co-host, and a welcome addition to my (and my roommate's) life! Please come over more often, with sushi, ok? Tyler was on my case to do a podcast with him for a while before I gave in and agreed to it. And, hey, it's totally fun! Tyler is perhaps the most normal person I know, and also one of the coolest.

Keith Hamilton. Keith is the booker for the Boat, Kensington Market's best indie music venue and my favourite place to go dancing, and is one of the city's consistent supporters of local musical acts as well as DIY touring bands. Keith's the best dance party host a DJ could hope for, cutting it up on the dance floor with the best of them. In early 2008 Keith joined the ranks of one of my favourite live bands, The Diableros, and he leads the misfit indie choir, Hamilton Trading Co. Whether rocking out to the Deebs, chilling out at a Sunday night Gather Round show with HTC, or dancing myself silly at Yacht Rock, Goin' Steady, or one of the other great dance parties at the Boat, Keith in my life meant good times in 2008.

Lauren Schreiber / No Shame. Some of the first shows I went to back in 2007 were No Shame ones at Tiger Bar. It was to this basement venue that I first ventured out by myself to a show. Since then I have become a pro, and have been to many more No Shame events. Not enough, really. When she booked at the Drake in early 2008, I went there a bunch of times, and truth-be-told, I have only been back once since she stopped working there. I then followed Lauren to Rancho Relaxo, and have loved seeing her get involved in booking bigger shows at other venues. Every No Shame show is one worth attending. Lauren's introduced me to a lot of great bands, and she manages to create a welcoming environment for me and lots of other people interested in going out and discovering new music. I was proud to be known on occasion as the most shameless No Shamee. My first No Shame in 2008 was with Amos the Transparent; the last, with the D'Urbervilles. Not bad.

Candace: My roommate. She is tops. Anyone who puts up with my constant indie stories and, well, me, is awesome.

Favourite Toronto albums:

The Bicycles, Oh No, It's Love
Born Ruffians, Red Yellow & Blue
The D'Urbervilles, We Are The Hunters
Laura Barrett, Victory Garden (and I also really liked her 2008 EP, Earth Sciences)
$100 (One Hundred Dollars), Forest of Tears
The Rural Alberta Advantage, Hometowns
Woodhands, Heart Attack

There's lots more out there, some of which I've heard in bits and liked, and others which I haven't given enough time to. A selection:

Andre Ethier, Born Of Blue Fog
The Coast, Expatriate
Forest City Lovers, Haunting Moon Sinking
Hooded Fang, Hooded Fang
Ketch Harbour Wolves, Calm Dead Horizon
Provincial Parks, Iron Ponies
The Magic, The Magic
Slim Twig, Dialect Derelict / Vernacular Violence