North by East West

Video: Jon-Rae Fletcher @ The Vogue Theatre, Vancouver

2010-02-03T21:54:00.007-05:00

Last friday I had the opportunity to check out an amazing night of music at the Vogue theatre here in Vancouver. Jon-Rae Fletcher opened up for the Great Lake Swimmers, which fellow NxEW blogger Brenda Lee wrote about here.I caught Jon-Rae's encore of "Fire" on video. Never has someone sounded so great signing about an apocalypse of biblical proportions. Needless to say Jon-Rae set a fire in

CD Review: From Halifax, Cousins' "Out On Town"

2010-02-02T18:50:00.002-05:00

Cousins is the child of Aaron Mangle, a Haligonian who recorded all of this record on his own. The first comparison which comes to mind here is the slow burning folk/grunge/noise of the Neil Young/Crazy Horse "Down by the River" era - big guitars in slow motion, swirling sounds through ancient amps, mellow drums to keep up the time but not to overwhelm, occasional screaming choruses. Mangle's

Indie Bands wanted for Podcast

2010-02-01T21:58:00.002-05:00

This is our third all-call for any Canadian indie artist who wants to submit a track for a weekly podcast. Thanks to the almost 25 artists who have submitted and heard their songs already.My friends Mike, Andrew and I have been producing a weekly Canadian pop culture podcast, called DyscultureD, since September 2008. Every week we try to feature a Canadian indie track and give bio and tour

Library Voices - New Album Details & Tour Dates

2010-02-01T17:14:00.000-05:00

Library Voices, an eight-piece pop collective from Regina, Saskatchewan released their EP, Hunting Ghosts (& Other Collected Shorts) on Young Soul Records in 2008. It landed them square in the crosshairs of SPIN’s music radar, who proclaimed Library Voices the “undiscovered band you NEED to hear now.” They have been featured in The New Yorker. They’ve received generous airplay on the CBC and

New Woodhands track (free download): "P'iss."

2010-02-01T15:36:00.003-05:00

"Pitchfork doesn't care about Black people...."Dan Werb and Paul Banwatt from Woodhands have released a new track, "P'iss." It's a dance and rap track---with Paul contributing the rapping---that takes a stab at the (in)famous American music website Pitchfork. The band is unimpressed with the site (to put it mildly): "Everybody else does it better than you."Go download it for free now!

CONCERT REVIEW : Great Lake Swimmers w/ Jon-Rae Fletcher

2010-02-01T01:35:00.000-05:00

If there is anyone reading this who has not seen Great Lake Swimmers live, stop reading. Go buy a ticket at one of their upcoming shows, now. Now that I've gotten that exhortation out of the way, there are few things I can say about the Swimmers' performance that has not been said a thousand times. Yes, they are tight-knit, never missing a cue from one another. Yes, their music only sounds more

Spotlight: Woodhands

2010-01-30T18:50:00.000-05:00

One of the country's top electro bands, Woodhands, a duo made up of Dan Werb (vocals, synths) and Paul Banwatt (drums, live vocals), released a new album this past Tuesday. Remorsecapade is a follow-up to 2008's explosive Heart Attack, which led to tours in Asia, the US, and here in Canada. This new release keeps the band rocking the keytar, pounding out the dance hits, and exploring its

Interview with GREYAWAKE

2010-01-30T16:20:00.004-05:00

Photo by Claire Foster, provided by the band by Jade Sperry After 6 years of playing in a damp basement, writing and then forgetting song after song, Kyle Baker (Vocalist/Guitar) and Tyler Lawson (Guitar) finally decided enough was enough. They asked long time friend and ex-drummer of the band Nimfo, Matt Wawzonek, to take part

CD Review - Greyawake - Know This Tension

2010-01-30T15:10:00.002-05:00

CD cover for "Know This Tension", provided by the band. Greyawake – Know This Tension by Jade Sperry Greyawake are a progressive Punk band from Cambridge ON. Their first EP, Know This Tension, is crafted by individual talents joining forces to create a dynamic 7 song debut. From the first song “Bebop and Rocksteady” to the

Woodpigeon "Die Stadt Muzikanten"

2010-01-30T11:24:00.006-05:00

Those most remarkable thing about this remarkable collection (not a double album as much as two full lengths "Die Stadt Muzikanten " and the more stripped down acoustic "Balladeer" in one package) is that over 28 songs and nearly two hours of music it never once falters. An obvious testament to the amazing talent assembled on both sides of the microphone (word up Arran Fisher) but ultimately

NEW VIDEO : Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees - You Don't Miss Me

2010-01-28T23:38:00.002-05:00

From their eponymous EP, Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees release the first video for their first single "You Don't Miss Me." It films them doing what they do best-- dancing and stirring the crowd into a spastic frenzy with their electro-pop music. Sadly, guitarist Jason Vautour is not sporting his leather vest/short-shorts combo like he did in Ruby Jean's Vancouver show back in the fall. Enjoy

The Pocket Co.

2010-01-28T22:38:00.000-05:00

For months one of my buddies has been trying to get me to see one of his favorite Toronto bands. I finally got off of my ass last Sunday evening and headed to The Cameron House to catch The Pocket Co. And holy crap, am I glad that I did!The five piece band warmed up with Merle Haggard's "(Tonight) The Bottle Let Me Down." Note, if you are a band that is new to me, you will always catch my

Make Me Young CD Release and Review

2010-01-28T00:21:00.003-05:00

There is this band that needs mentioning and well I thought I would mention them. The band that I am referring to is Make Me Young. Make Me Young is a Toronto based band with their first album coming out this week. They will be playing a CD release party at El Mocambo in Toronto on January 28th. This is where you can purchase their self titled album for a measly 5 bucks. I have been

Q & A with Randal Ball of WreckingBall Entertainment.

2010-01-26T02:43:00.001-05:00

Earlier this month I posted an interview with Ben Mueller-Heaslip who does the "What's All This Then?!" podcast. That turned out great, and it made me want to do more Q & A features with Toronto scenesters (if you don't mind me using that language). The local music community is populated by bands---many, many bands---but the other characters who we see out and about, working and spectating, have

Ticket Giveaway: EATT, Lioness, Rich Aucoin @ The Horseshoe, Toronto, 30 Jan.

2010-01-25T21:12:00.001-05:00

Saturday night at the Horseshoe local music promoters No Shame are presenting electro-soul outfit Everything All the Time, electro-rockers Lioness, and Rich Aucoin. The first two bands feature great vocalists in Alanna Stuart (EATT) and Vanessa Fischer (Lioness). Not only can these women sing, but they've got stage presence and, well, attractiveness on their side. You can't go wrong. Alanna's

Review: Dennis Ellsworth's Chesterfield Dweller of the Year

2010-01-25T18:03:00.004-05:00

Dennis Ellsworth, frontman of Music PEI award winning Haunted Hearts, recently released a heartwrenching album of beautiful music. After leading hard-hitting Island acts, including the Rude Mechanicals, Haunted Hearts, and Battery Point, Ellsworth split from a band and recorded tracks by himself. While his daunting musical persona might be less so outside of Atlantic Canada, Ellsworth's name

Live Review: OOTS 3rd Anniversary w/ The D'Urbervilles, Forest City Lovers, Evening Hymns, Jenny Omnichord.

2010-01-25T02:12:00.001-05:00

Toronto label Out of this Spark celebrated its third anniversary at the Garrison in Toronto Friday night. The party was a showcase for all four of the label's current bands: The D'Urbervilles, Forest City Lovers, Evening Hymns, and Jenny Omnichord. Three of the groups have new albums coming out this year, so we were treated to many new songs.Jenny Omnichord is the solo project of Jenny Mitchell,

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY, PHOG LOUNGE!

2010-01-23T01:15:00.006-05:00

While many clubs and venues are facing shrinking crowds, higher overhead and wondering what to do to keep the doors open, or whether to keep them open at all; there is a beam of light that shines ever so brightly over the Windsor/Detroit music community. That light is the Phog Lounge, 157 University West Windsor, ONNot only was the Phog voted Canada's Best Live Music Venue by CBC Radio 3

NEW VIDEO : Hannah Georgas - Thick Skin

2010-01-22T14:42:00.002-05:00

A new song and video from the soon-to-be-released This Is Good (due out April 27, 2010) by Vancouver-based Hannah Georgas. In the video, she reveals her own vulnerabilities, quite literally stripped down to her thick skin.

NEW VIDEO : You Say Party! We Say Die! - Dark Days

2010-01-21T13:59:00.002-05:00

The third tracks off their latest album XXXX. The video quite accurately captures what You Say Party! We Say Die! are like in their live performances. The album is already out in Canada and will be released in the US on February 9, 2010. You Say Party! We Say Die! - Dark Days from Paper Bag Records on Vimeo.

Basia Bulat to Launch New Album with NYC Performances

2010-01-21T01:43:00.000-05:00

The much-anticipated new album from Basia Bulat, "Heart of My Own," will get its New York City live debut this week. Bulat will open for My Brightest Diamond on Friday night, January 22nd at Bowery Ballroom. And Bulat's schedule shows an album release party for "Heart of My Own" the night before at Professor Thom's on 2nd Ave and 13th Street. Doors open at 7 pm and the album release party's

Said The Whale searching for artistic souls for EP art

2010-01-20T21:19:00.000-05:00

From Said The Whale: Next month we are releasing an acoustic EP digitally on iTunes, and we need some album art. So, if you would like to create the cover art for our EP, entitled "Bear Bones EP", please submit to saidthewhale@gmail.com. The deadline is this Sunday, Jan 24th. It would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you're in the BC area, we are playing the following shows: Jan 23 |

The Mountain & The Trees Invite Everybody to be Part of Their Next Album

2010-01-20T21:03:00.000-05:00

The Mountains & The Trees are currently recording their new album and have put out a call for anybody who can record themselves to contribute and be part of it. The new album will be a full-length release and follows their highly successful EP “Hop, Skip, & A Jump” which was released in September of 2009. The Mountains & The Trees are/is Jon Janes. He plays guitar, banjo, ukulele, harmonica,

Review: Woodland Telegraph Sings Revival Hymns

2010-01-20T20:28:00.004-05:00

The Rocky Mountains are truly one of Canada’s most beautiful landscapes. Matthew Lovegrove’s Woodland Telegraph sets out to capture the beauty of the Canadian Rockies landscape as well as its history in Woodland Telegraph sings Revival Hymns. This is the first in a trilogy of albums based on Canadian history and landscape. Lovegrove wintered in an old cabin/research station (the Barrier Lake

User Friendly Olympic Concert Schedules

2010-01-20T03:51:00.002-05:00

As a public service for all music lovers in Vancouver and curious Olympic visitors, I've created 8** (**as of February 1) simple print-outs of mostly free concerts in Metro Vancouver and Whistler. If you've even taken a brief glance at the host of websites featuring this information, you'll know that it was really decentralized. [belated note: and some websites are just awful.] This is a way for