Canadian Music Week Preview: Conferences

My column for this month is a special edition in honour of the upcoming Canadian Music Week: a five-day festival showcasing great Canadian music acts as well as conferences, lectures, award shows and films. It’s going to be a wild ride, and I want to show you which events will make you lean forward, flail your arms and smile.

CMW runs March 10-14, with events during the days and concerts/films in the evenings.

Canadian Music Week (and Fest – the music portion) require that you purchase passes to attend events (obviously). You can purchase weekly or daily passes. For more information, go here. However, if you want to go to just one concert, tickets can be purchased here.

This is the third part in a trio of articles in preparation for CMW. Today, we tackle the heavy conference schedule.

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Canadian Music Week Preview: Music

My column for this month is a special edition in honour of the upcoming Canadian Music Week: a five-day festival showcasing great Canadian music acts as well as conferences, lectures, award shows and films. It’s going to be a wild ride, and I want to show you which events will make you lean forward, flail your arms and smile.

CMW runs March 10-14, with events during the days and concerts/films in the evenings.

Canadian Music Week (and Fest – the music portion) require that you purchase passes to attend events (obviously). You can purchase weekly or daily passes. For more information, go here. However, if you want to go to just one concert, tickets can be purchased here.

This is the second part in a trio of articles in preparation for CMW. Today, I’ll point out a number of bands that are more than worth just checking out.

Read the rest of this entry »

Canadian Music Week Preview: Films

My column for this month is a special edition in honour of the upcoming Canadian Music Week: a five-day festival showcasing great Canadian music acts as well as conferences, lectures, award shows and films. It’s going to be a wild ride, and I want to show you which events will make you lean forward, flail your arms and smile.

Canadian Music Week (and Fest – the music portion) requires that you purchase passes to attend events (obviously). You can purchase weekly or daily passes. For more pass information, go here. However, if you want to go to just one concert, individual tickets can be purchased here.

CMW runs March 10-14, with events during the days and concerts/films in the evenings.

This is the first part in a trio of articles in preparation for CMW. Today, I’ll tell you which films I think are worth seeing.

Read the rest of this entry »

February Monthly Music

Alright, it’s the second month of 2010. What do you think of this year’s music so far? I think it’s had a fantastic start, but hey, that’s just me. Anyways, while the concert season is hopefully nearing the end of that boring period where nobody tours because it’s to cold, there are still some great shows and artists to check out in February that will amp you up and propel you into March. After all, it’s a shorter month, so let’s squeeze some more excitement into it!

Three Toronto bands you should know:

Woodhands – They found critical acclaim in the US and China for their last album, Heart Attack, so it can only go up from here for Remorsecapade. Their loud, sweaty dance parties are always talked about for days afterward, the perfect goal for musical hosts. The album was only released a few days ago, but there’s already been an incredible amount of hype. They’re fun, bold and quirky; it’s good to see something so different and exciting on the Toronto scene in between the usual splendors. Don’t miss your chance to see them since they will be going back to the States and possibly China again this year.

The Balconies – This trio has recently moved to Toronto from Ottawa, and we have welcomed them with open arms. They’re already gone and touring Eastern Canada right now (but you will see them play a show here this month). They’ve got this interesting sound that blends ‘80s pop guitars with the huge difference between their voices (which works in their favour). They had a great 2009, so here’s hoping they’ll have an even better 2010.

Bruce Peninsula – We’ve seen the release of their most recent album, A Mountain is a Mouth, and it was wonderful. The troupe of incredible singers (the instruments come later) are still riding that wave and will see tour dates in the States over the next few months, including South by Southwest, a big music festival in Texas (Woodhands will be there too). This album is one that will definitely brighten up a dreary February day or at least make it more contemplative.

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January Monthly Music

Jessica Lewis returns for another edition of Monthly Music.  If you enjoy this feature, you can read more of Jessica’s musical musings at Round Letters.

This month I’m going to try something different. After all, it’s a new year, a new decade. There is much to look back on and look forward to, especially in music. So, without delay, here follows what I believe are some albums and concerts to look forward to in January 2010. There’s already a lot in just one month! These picks are all pretty earthy, a great symbol for how they’ve all worked from the ground up, and 2010 expects some beautiful flowers, trees, bushes, what-have-you.

By all means, start a discussion in the comments. Did I leave anyone out? What are you looking forward to in music for 2010? And what did you love most about 2009?

Owen Pallett – Heartland Out January 12. Plays at the Mod Club on the same day. From the man who had to change his stage name Final Fantasy back to his real name due to copyright infringement comes the album everyone in the Toronto indie scene has been waiting for since He Poos Clouds in 2006. With his trademark quick-wit and faster violin pace, this album is sure to keep the critics and fans chattering for a while.

Woodpigeon – Die Stadt Muzikanten Out January 12. Plays at the Drake Hotel on February 11. Oh Mark Andrew, your crew and the blissful melodies! Pleasant, familiar and yet still an adventure is every Woodpigeon album. What has impressed me about Woodpigeon in the past has been how easy their songs mold to any occasion. Studying, hanging out, partying, discovering.
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December Monthly Music

Jessica Lewis returns for another edition of Monthly Music.  If you enjoy this feature, you can read more of Jessica’s musical musings at Round Letters.

While most people are either avoiding or embracing popular holiday music at this time of the year, I’m here to tell you there is other music out there that can cheer up your winter blues. To me, a lot of music can be categorized by seasons. My picks for December reflect this.

Three Toronto bands you should know:

The Constantines – This rogue city band is celebrating a ten year anniversary this winter and will be playing celebratory shows at Lee’s Palace for three nights mid-month. What’s great about this band (seasonally-minded) is that they effortlessly put the rough edges back into the pale wet patches of snow in our concrete jungle. They embrace the sludge and sling it back to the listener songs that will show a snowstorm who means business.

Timber Timbre – Sleepy, are you? Well, Taylor Kirk and company will just make your warm nap even warmer. Only really perfect in black and white, this folk-blues outfit graced the streets in the summer and autumn with the self titled album, but to me, this music is the best in its hollow form.

Forest City Lovers – This cute group occasionally performs with the above-mentioned Timber Timbre as well as separately, but they are extremely strong on their own. They released Haunting Moon Sinking in 2008 and a 7” Phodilus and Tyto in early November. Both are full with pretty melodies, the urge to hold hands and no sense of letting a season get them down.

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November Monthly Music

Dork Shelf has decided to dip its toes into the local music scene with a little help from Jessica Lewis, writer for Exclaim Magazine and Broken Pencil Magazine.  If you like this column, you can read more of Jessica’s musical musings at her blog, Round Letters.

Welcome to the first entry of Monthly Music! This will obviously be a monthly edition pimping Toronto music, with three bands you should know by now, three bands that are just starting to catch some more attention (rightfully) and three concerts that will be hitting the city soon that you should not miss. This month, we’ve got Thunderheist, Bahamas and Dirty Projectors as just part of the musical goodness.

Three Toronto bands you should know:

Thunderheist – This duo of local glam-bots Isis and Graham Zilla know how to get any party started, even if it’s already going. Their self-titled full-length debut album will help you get psyched up for any intense video game spree or binge. Thunderheist’s beats could wrap a Twizzler into knots or do the same to people in Twister. Their slowed down house effects with a hip hop flare could entice any kind of listener, it’s just that infectious. Right now, Isis and Zilla are taking time off to do solo projects, but it’s sure that anything produced by these two will at least be interesting.

Ohbijou – This year saw the release of the amazing album Beacons. From the sweet vocals of Casey Mecija to the equally charming violins, guitars, drums and more from Jennifer Mecija, Anissa Hart, Ryan Carley, Heather Kirby, James Bunton and Andrew Kinoshita. Perfect for when the seasons turn, these melodies will have anyone in a warm glowy state. I’m looking at you, big bad wrestler man you.

Spiral Beach – If you’ve ever seen this band of city 20-somethings, you must know how ridiculously entertaining their show is. But not only do they put on a good set, their songs are much more than decent. They’ve been slowly gaining international attention, featured on films such as Charlie Bartlett and the short-lived animated show Life’s a Zoo. They’re constantly touring yet you can always see them around the city. They will be playing three acoustic sets this month as a fundraiser for their upcoming Europe tour of their third album, The Only Really Thing.

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