Bandwidth w/ Jill Zmud, Argentina, Contests and Andre Ethier's Worst Job Ever

Your weekly update on the latest in Ontario music with Amanda Putz - this week there are interviews with Jill Zmud and Andre Ethier and a live performance by Alicia Borisonik & the Argentinian Project. Plus your chance to win a coveted CBC Radio 3 scarf or a Jill Zmud CD. See the Bandwidth web site for details.

Download the MP3 or press play:

Win Tix: Fri. the 13th Shout Out Out Out Out Vancouver Show

Emonton's Shout Out Out Out Out aren't on tour but they are playing a Frieday (November) the 13th show in Vancouver at the Richshaw Theatre and we have some extra tickets. So, if you're in Vancouver, or you're going to be and you'd like to go to the show for free compliments of NxEW and Six Shooter Records just drop an email to [email protected] - a winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday!

Shout Out Out Out Out feat (Edmonton's Poet Laureate) Cadence Weapon - Coming Home

Final Round Voting Open for the Canadian Album Hall of Fame class of 2009

Last round for this year. You nominated and you voted and these are the top 50 albums according to you. Ok, there are actually 52 due to a three way tie for the last spot, NxEW is flexible. Out of these 47 will automatically be nominated next year (and 2005 albums will be eligible) and 5 will be the inaugural class in our Canadian Album Hall of Fame.

Vote as often as you like for as many as you like! - Voting will be open until 11:59 p.m. on November 30!

the Six Shooter Records Tattoo Contest

Got an email awhile ago from Six Shooter Records who I love and who you should love too. Why? Because their motto/tagline thing is "Life is Too Short to Listen To Shitty Music". That alone should earn them your love, even if you don't like their bands - but you do like their bands - people like Justin Rutledge, Elliott Brood, Jenn Grant, NQ Arbuckle, the Beauties, Luke Doucet, Melissa McLelland, Christine Fellows, Valery Gore, ... see you love them (even if you didn't know that). Anyway, Six Shooter is having a tattoo competition. You don't even have to get one - just design one:

Awhile back we made these bitchin’ Six Shooter fake tattoos based on classic  early tattoo art. Our pal Andy Washington was so inspired by these pumpin’ tatts, that he ran with the idea and got some bonafide ink based on the idea!  Wow, that’s dedication! Check out the pics:
http://gallery.me.com/andywash#100092



So, of course, this has prompted us to realize the necessity of throwing a tattoo based contest! So here it is: the first person who gets a full back piece tattoo of Justin Rutledge’s face, gets a free CD! HA HA HA HA!!! Just kidding (but if you do wanna do that, we will give you a free cd). 
 


How about this instead: we want you to get artistic! Sketch up a Six Shooter based tattoo flash design, whether it be one of our fabulous artists rendered as a pin-up or sailor or something, or a classic tattoo style rendition of our logo, or even a picture of the Tasmanian devil wearing a Six Shooter toque and smoking a doob! Send the design to us, and whichever one we deem to be the best (based on our completely subjective judging criteria), wins a wonderful prize!!! Yaaah!

So when you've got it all designed check http://www.sixshooterrecords.com/six_site/six_www.html to find out how to get it to them.

Contest: The Wooden Sky @ Lee's Palace -- Friday November 13th, 2009

The Wooden Sky, Pick of the Week #30, the 17th hottest band in Canada (according to this country's music community), the 7th hottest band (according to me) and the authors of the album If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone will be playing at Lee's Palace in Toronto next Friday (Nov. 13th).

Anyways, if you want to go see the show with a friend ft. openers Brian Borcherdt (who I don't know) and the Hooded Fang (who I've seen once before and enjoyed), PLUS a copy of the Wooden Sky's excellent album If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone then e-mail me at: londononburgeoningmetropolisATgmailDOTcom.

As an aside: I haven't run contests before because, basically, I haven't been totally behind the stuff that people (PR companies) have wanted me to give away. As I've said before I think the Wooden Sky is great and I'm very excited about seeing this show... hope to see you (yes, you) there...

Ticket Giveaway: You Say Party! We Say Die! @ The Phoenix, Toronto, 20 Nov.

My two favourite musical genres are folk and electro, or, more specifically, electro-pop and folk-rock. The last contest I brought you was folk and pop and quieter stuff, so it's only fitting that now I've got one that showcases my love of dancing (awkwardly).

Vancouver band You Say Party! We Say Die! are on tour, promoting their new album, XXXX. The first and only time I saw this band was during this year's NxNE festival at the El Mocambo. Though festival showcases aren't always the best measure of a band's performance prowess, YSP!WSD! didn't tone things down. Front-woman Becky Ninkovic is a serious presence on stage (and great vocalist), and the band's songs are catchy and danceable without being overly produced or all about the 80s.

YSP!WSD! are coming to Toronto on 20 November. They're bringing Montrealers Think About Life and Torontonians---and YSP!WSD! label-mates---Little Girls with them. (The inclusion of the Slim Twig-ish Little Girls means this is certainly not a standard dance band bill.)

Download: Little Girls, "Youth Tunes," (Concepts, 2009).
Download: Think About Life, "Set You On Fire" (Family, 2009).
Download: You Say Party! We Say Die!, "Laura Palmer's Prom" (XXXX, 2009).

Courtesy the MuseBox, I've got a pair of tickets to give away to this show! So, if you're 19+, going to be in Toronto that night, and want to party it up good, send me an email (historyjenATgmailDOTcom) with your full name in the body and "YSP!WSD!" in the subject line. Get that into me by 11:59pm on Monday, 16 November, and I'll let you know if you're a winner the next day.

Fine print: Steam Whistle presents You Say Party! We Say Die!, Think About Life, and Little Girls, w/ DJ Vaneska @ The Phoenix, Friday, 20 November, 9pm, $12 (adv).

Here's the remaining YSP!WSD! tour schedule:

Nov 05 – Sherbrooke, QC – Le Telephone Rouge
Nov 06 – Laval, QC – Le Trac *
Nov 07 – Montreal, QC – Il Motore *
Nov 09 – Hamilton, ON – Casbah
Nov 11 – London, ON – Black Shire *
Nov 12 – Guelph, ON – E Bar *
Nov 13 – Kingston, ON – Grad Club *
Nov 14 – Ottawa, ON – Babylon *
Nov 18 – Windsor, ON – Phog Lounge **
Nov 19 – Waterloo, ON – Bombshelter **
Nov 20 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix #
Nov 21 – Sudbury, ON – Townhouse **
Nov 25 – Winnipeg, MB – Royal Albert **
Nov 26 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigo’s **
Nov 27 – Edmonton, AB – New City **
Nov 28 – Calgary, AB – Hi-Fi **

*w/ Think About Life
**w/ Little Girls

Ticket / CD Giveaway: The Wooden Sky @ Lee's Palace, 13 Nov.

One of the country's top folk rock bands, the Wooden Sky, released their sophomore full-length album---If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone---this summer. (I liked it; still do.) To celebrate the release, the men went on the road, playing backyards, living rooms, rooftops, and other alternative spaces. Filmmaker Scott Cudmore went with them:

(Part 2 of the documentary is up here, and look for parts 3 and 4 later this month.)

Although the summer tour was fantastic for the bands and fans alike, and no doubt made every performance special in ways regular shows just can't be, it meant that fewer people could see the band perform than if they'd played in larger, more public venues. And that, I presume, is what this current tour is all about.

Torontonians can get their Wooden Sky fix on Friday, Nov 13 at Lee's Palace. They're bringing along local popsters Hooded Fang and the decidedly un-popy Brian Borcherdt, whose solo project bears little resemblance to his other musical endeavour, Holy Fuck. Each one of these acts alone would be enough to get me out of my pyjamas on a rainy night. In other words, good lineup. And now, thanks to me (read: not me), you can go to the show for free!

Courtesy the Musebox I've got two tickets and a copy of If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone on CD to give away to one lucky 19+, Toronto-residing reader. Want in on this? Want in on this? Email me (historyjenATgmailDOTcom) your full name by 11:59pm on Tuesday, 10 Nov. I'll draw a random name and let you know if you're a winner the next day.

Download: The Wooden Sky, "Oh My God (It Still Means A Lot To Me)" (If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone, 2009).
Download: Hooded Fang, "Fall Leaves" (Hooded Fang, 2008).
Download: Brian Borcherdt, "Scout Leader" (Coyotes, 2008).

Fine print: The Wooden Sky, Hooded Fang, and Brian Borcherdt @ Lee's Palace, Friday, 13 November, 9pm, $12.50 (adv, $15 at the door).

-----

The Wooden Sky will be hitting up other towns in Ontario and Quebec this month. Be sure to go early for Evening Hymns' set. He---Jonas Bonnetta, that is---has a new record out himself. I think you'll like it, too.

7 Nov @ Phog Lounge (Windsor, ON) w/ Evening Hymns
13 Nov @ Lee’s Palace (Toronto) w/ Hooded Fang & Brian Borcherdt
14 Nov @ Absinthe (Hamilton, ON) w/ Evening Hymns
15 Nov @ Merchant Ale House (St. Catherines, ON) w/ Evening Hymns
20 Nov @ The Albion Hotel (Guelph, ON) w/ Evening Hymns
21 Nov @ The Montreal House (Peterborough, ON) w/ Evening Hymns
24 Nov @ Call The Office (London, ON) w/ Evening Hymns & Jenn Grant
26 Nov @ L’Agitee (Quebec City, QC) w/ Evening Hymns
27 Nov @ The Blacksheep Inn (Wakefield, QC) w/ Evening Hymns
28 Nov @ Club L’Ambi (Montreal, QC) w/ Evening Hymns & Jenn Grant

CBC Radio 2 Wants Your Songs About Canada

A few days ago CBC Radio 2 announced the performers and places in their Great Canadian Song Quest. In case you haven't been following the Great Canadian Song Place sought 13 Canadian places that needed songs and 13 performers to write those songs (they have just 4 weeks to do it and didn't get to pick the place).

Now Radio 2 is asking for your songs about Canadian places. The new contest is "for budding musicians and other Canadians to create and submit their OWN original songs about their favourite places. Songs have the chance to be featured on Drive and critiqued by the likes of legendary songwriter Murray McLachlan. Runs until Nov 20th."

Get more info or submit songs at http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/songquest/shareyourquest.html.

Ontario Sucks- The Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie

Places and Songwriters Named in the Great Canadian Song Quest

For weeks the folks at CBC Radio 2 have been seeking nominations for places and then votes for places and artists to write about those places. Now it's all settled, the places and the artists have been announced and the artists have four weeks to write their songs. You will get a chance to hear them all on CBC Radio 2 Morning and Radio 2 rive on November 23.

Oh Susanna is writing about Tofino, British Columbia
Jay Sparrow will sing about Hoodoos/Badlands, Alberta
The Deep Dark Woods will have a song about Good Time Charlie’s at The Plains, Saskatchewan
Chantal Kreviazuk's song will be about Waskada, Manitoba
Hawksley Workman will have a new song about Algonquin Park, Ontario
Martha Wainwright will sing the priases of The Black Sheep Inn, Quebec
David Myles about Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick
Catherine MacLellan will take on Singing Sand Beach, Prince Edward Island
Joel Plaskett will have something about The Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia
Hey Rosetta! will sing nice things about Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland
Dana Sipos gets Tuktoyaktuk Pingos, Northwest Territories
Kim Barlow will write a song about Dawson City, Yukon (I thought she already had a few...?)
and Lucie Idlout will tell us about The Road to Nowhere, Nunavut (pretty sure Talking Heads covers aren't allowed)

Canadian Album Hall of Fame Progress Report

When I set up these polls I hide the results, not really to keep you in the dark but because I don't want to reveal how well or poorly anything is doing. It sort of goes along with NxEW's philosophy of trying to stay positive and tell you about things we like rather than things we don't. In other words: It's not that I don't want people who are doing well to see how well they are doing - it's more that I don't want people who are doing poorly to see how poorly they may be doing.

Still, I try to drop hints once in awhile. I also think that the current poll results are interesting as they say something about the ages of NxEW.ca's audience. The oldest album currently in the Top 10 is the Barenaked Ladies Gordon from 1992. Now I'll be the first to say that Canada is undergoing a musical renaissance - that we have more musical talent at the moment than any country in the world (regardless of size or populuation) but are all of the best Canadian albums really from the last 17 years? The top 10 at the moment are:

Weakerthans - Left & Leaving
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Feist - Let it Die
Metric - Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
Joel Plaskett - Truthfully, Truthfully
Joel Plaskett - Down at the Khyber
Barenaked Ladies - Gordon
Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
Sam Roberts - We Were Born in a Flame

It's not over yet though by a long shot. Voting in this round is still open until Nov. 7 - after that the Top 50 (not 10) will be moved into a new poll for a new round of voting. The top 5 albums in that poll will be the inaugural class in NxEW's Canadian Album Hall of Fame and the other 45 will automatically be included in next years poll (which will also include the albums of 2005). Keep voting, it's not done yet.

Voting is Now Open: Canadian Album Hall of Fame

You nominated your favorites - alot of them - so many that I had to create two separate polls to house them all. What we have already is a nice history lesson in Canadian music but we're moving on from there. The voting is now open. Voting in this round will be open until Saturday, November 7 - after which we will go down to a top 50 and another round of voting. Of that top 50 45 will be automatically included in next years vote and 5 will be our inaugural class in NxEW's Canadian Album Hall of Fame.

Voting Begins in CBC Radio 2's Great Canadian Song Quest

Voting is now open in CBC Radio 2's Great Canadian song contest. The contest seeks places in Canada that need a song written about them and asks you which artists should write those songs. People have been weighing in and launching their various campaigns and there are now places you can vote for in every province and territory in Canada and artists you can vote for to write the songs. The list of artists includes Joel Plaskett, Jenn Grant, Old Man Luedecke, Hawksley Workman,
Shad, Rose Cousins, Kim Barlow, Sloan, Julie Doiron, Malajube, Al Tuck, Olympic Symphorium, Justin Rutledge, Jully Black, David Myles, Colleen Brown, Catherine MacLellan, Alex Cuba, Woodpigeon, Hey Rosetta, Coeur de pirate, Martha Wainwright, The Deep Dark Woods, Chantal Keviazuk, Oh Susanna, Dragon Fli Empire and many, many others.

Go check out all the places and artists and get to voting at cbc.ca/radio2/songquest

Book Giveaway: Canuck Rock.

Last week I told you about a new book that I really enjoyed and learned a great deal from: Ryan Edwardson's Canuck Rock: A History of Canadian Popular Music. Now I've got a few copies of the book to giveaway! Details and a Q & A below, plus download songs by some of Ryan's favourite Canadian artists.

The book deals with rock 'n' roll, folk, and other popular (read: commercially successful) forms of music in Canada from the 1950s to the present day. Although fairly broad in scope, the book is mostly interested in exploring the development of a domestic Canadian music industry and ruminating on the relationship between national identity and popular music. The first few chapters make clear that though there was lots of popular music being performed in this country, musicians were rarely able to make a career out of doing so unless they moved, recorded, and signed a record deal elsewhere, usually the United States. The Canadian content rules for radio implemented in the early 1970s allowed for the creation of a domestic music industry. In its heyday, MuchMusic played an important role, too. The last 20 years have seen serious challenges to Cancon, and— ironically—the success of that legislation has meant that it no longer functions as it once did: to support new and emerging Canadian artists, labels, and recording studios. The book ends by discussing the impact of the internet and how much the domestic industry is embedded in the international music marketplace. See my original review for more.

I went to the book launch at a Toronto record store (Soundscapes) last Tuesday, where there was a fascinating discussion about the history and current state of the music industry in this country between Edwardson, Canadian music heavy-hitter Bernie Finkelstein, and music journalist and historian Nicholas Jennings. There were some good questions from audience members afterward, which inspired me to ask a few of my own questions of Ryan the next day:

Jen: In your remarks at the book launch, you said that there was very little writing on the history of Canadian music outside Nicholas Jennings’s Before the Gold Rush and some magazine articles. What is it like researching and writing about the history of popular music?

Ryan: Well, in the case of Canada, for better or worse it meant working largely with a blank slate, and as such I let the research material guide me through it rather than coming in strongly with a set idea of how things should be written. I had encountered a bunch of anecdotal accounts, and some journalistic decrees of essentialism in describing music in Canada, and just knew that there had to be something more substantial. So, I gathered up as much material from whatever sources I could—print, archival, interview, etc.—and let that inform me and in turn provide the foundation for the book. Consequently, the book approaches the topic from a number of angles, including the experiences of musicians, broadcasters, Canadian content legislation, and fans themselves. One can't simply talk about "musicians in Canada" when it comes to understanding the evolution of "Canadian music."

Jen: One of your main arguments is that the Canadian content rules for radio allowed for—and forced the—creation of a domestic music industry. Well now we've certainly got one, even if it’s highly integrated into the international marketplace. Is Cancon still relevant today?

Ryan: That of course is the big question that continues to divide the industry. It’s all the more complicated by the proliferation of the Internet and MP3 technologies that offer alternatives to traditional broadcasters. Yet these technologies have not made Cancon obsolete; if anything, they play off of each other. Rather, it is the abundance of internationally-acclaimed, multinationally-backed acts of Canadian citizenship being used to fill the Cancon quota (and whose music is bound to be aired anyways) that have complicated the situation. The original idea behind Cancon is still sound—providing opportunities for citizens of a country to access their publicly owned airwaves—but the challenges being faced by emerging artists, composers, recording studios, etc. have evolved and significant barriers still exist.

Jen: Your book is written in a way that makes it accessible to a broad audience. Was this a deliberate choice? Why?

Ryan: Most definitely. After all, if your goal is to share ideas with people, what’s the use of jargon-filled writing that can only be read by a select few? This is especially true when it does not have to be written as such, and all the more so when it comes to popular music, a topic with a massive audience outside of the academic world.

Jen: The book jacket says you’re a music fan. Do you follow current artists? Who are your favourites these days?

Ryan: Hmmm. Although the likes of Joel Plaskett and the Weakerthans ride high on my playlist, among the lesser known (and more recent) acts that deserve much more attention, I think, are Old Man Luedecke, NQ Arbuckle, and Elliott Brood. There’s definitely some amazing talent out there, and so much of it is available to be seen at smaller venues where you can actually hear the music coming from the instruments rather than just what the P.A. system has to offer.

Want to know more? (I hope you do!) To win a copy of the book, email me your name and mailing address. Put "Canuck Rock" in the subject line of your message, and get your entry to me by Sunday, 4 Oct, at 11:59pm. I'll let you know on Monday if you're a winner, and you should get your book soon thereafter! If you don't win a copy you can pick one up at bookstores and places like Soundscapes ($21.99) or order it online.

And now for some music from Ryan's favourites (we have similar taste in music, seems like) . . . .

Download: Joel Plaskett, "Safe In Your Arms" (Three, 2009).
Download: The Weakerthans, "Sun In An Empty Room" (Reunion Tour, 2007).
Download: Old Man Luedecke, "Proof of Love" (Proof of Love, 2008).
Download: NQ Arbuckle, "I Liked You Right From The Start" (X O K, 2008).
Download: Elliott Brood, "Write It All Down for You" (Mountain Meadows, 2008).

Nominate Your Favorite Canadian Places in CBC Radio 2's Songquest

CBC Radio 2 has a new contest that asks which Canadian places need a song and the nominations are open as of today. The winning places will each have a song written for them by one of "Canada's finest musical icons and emerging stars."

Canadians can visit http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/songquest/ to nominate their favorite songless places.

Voting for places and artists will run from Oct. 12 - 23 and the winners will be announced on Oct 26.

$100 West Coast Tour Poster Competition

Lest you get confused $100 is the band not the prize. One Hundred Dollars is getting ready to a West Coast tour and they are having a poster design contest for the tour. From their blog:

"1. Competition is open to all people of all creed, age, nationality, citizenship status, gender, and race.

2. The poster will be designed by fans, for fans, and should include the words: "One Hundred Dollars West Coast Canadian Tour, 2009" The rest is up to you my friends. Please e-mail submissions to : [email protected]

3. The poster design should be sent to us digitally at 300 dpi, in photoshop, pdf, or ai file. We caution against the use of vector based images.

4. The dimensions of all submissions must exceed 10 inches by 10 inches.

5. Winners will be chosen based on the beauty and integrity of their design by members of One Hundred Dollars.

6. The Winner receives a free print of their poster, 2 (two) VIP back stage passes to a show of their pick out west, and one hour of youtubing with Paul Mortimer.

7. Contest closes on October 13, and winners will be announced on October 15."

$100 - "Forest of Tears" Live at Sappyfest 2008

What Are the Best Canadian Albums Ever?

So, it's still Polaris Music Prize day and just a few hours ago I announced that Julie Doiron won our Shadow Polaris Prize for 2009. Now we're moving straight on to the next question:

What are the best Canadian albums ever?

We'd like your nominations for the Canadian albums you've liked the best but we're taking out any 'flavor of the month' possibilities. Here's how it's going to go. You can nominate any albums that you like in the comments section, Facebook, by emailing [email protected] or via Twitter @NxEW.

Nominated albums

1) Must be Canadian

2) Must be a full album (not an EP or a single)

3) Cannot be 'greatest hits' collections although live albums that revisit past material are eligible.

4) The album must be from 2004 or previous - so anything from the dawn of recording until 2004 is acceptable.

It doesn't matter how well the album sold, we're only looking for quality but in order to weed out any albums that are only momentarily popular we want to put a few years between the prize and the recording. So we're looking for the albums that, looking back five years or more, still resonate - the ones that you still listen to, that haven't been relegated to the back of the closet or sold at a used CD place.

Nominations will be open from now until October 10, 2009. After that the voting will begin and the nominees will be whittled down to 50 and then a second round of voting will begin (if your favorite didn't make the top 50 you get a second chance to pick a winner.) The short list, of 5 albums, will ALL be inducted into our album Hall of Fame.

So, let the nominations begin: Nominate your favorites in the comments section, via Facebook, by emailing [email protected] or via Twitter @NxEW.

Nominated albums to date (alot more to come)
please don't nominate these again, they can't be more nominated.

Alanis Morissette - 'Jagged Little Pill'
Alexander 'Skip' Spence - Oar
Apostle of Hustle - Folkloric Feel
Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Band - Self Titled
The Band - Music From Big Pink
Barenaked Ladies - Gordon
Barenaked Ladies - Maroon
Blue Rodeo - Five Days In July
Blue Rodeo - Nowhere To Here
Bran Van 3000 - Discosis
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People
Bruce Cockburn - Stealing Fire
By Divine Right - Bless This Mess
Constantines - Constantines
Constantines - Shine a Light
Cuff the Duke - Life Stories for Minimum Wage
Dan-e-o - The Book of Daniel
Daniel Lanois - For The Beauty Of Wynona
Dears - No Cities Left
Death From Above 1979 - You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
Do Make Say Think - & Yet & Yet
Eric's Trip - Love Tara
Eric's Trip - Purple Blue
Esthero - Breath From Another
Feist: Let It Die
Godspeed You! Black Emporor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F♯A♯∞
Hayden - The Closer I Get
Hayden - Everything I Long For
Hidden Cameras - Mississauga Goddam
The High Dials - A New Devotion
Inbreds - Kombinator
Ivana Santilli - Brown
Joel Plaskett - In Need of Medical Attention
Joel Plaskett Emergency - Truthfully, Truthfully
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Joni Mitchell - For The Roses
Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark
Junior Boys - Last Exit
Julie Doiron - Goodnight Nobody
Kardinal Offishall - Quest for Fire: Firestarter, vol. 1
K-Os - Exit
Leonard Cohen - Songs From A Room
Leonard Cohen - Various Positions
Limblifter - Self Titled
Matthew Good Band - Audio of Being
Mecca Normal - Mecca Normal
Metric - Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
Moist - 'Silver'
Neil Young - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young - Harvest
New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
New Pornographers - Electric Version
North of America - Brothers, Sisters
A Northern Chorus - Before We All Go to Pieces
Our Lady Peace - Naveed
Our Lady Peace - Clumsy
Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines
Pilate - Caught By The Window
Raising the Fawn - The North Sea
Rascalz- Cash Crop
Rheostatics - Whale Music
Royal City - Alone At The Microphone
A Silver Mt. Zion - He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes
Grace the Corner of Our Rooms…
Skinny Puppy - Bites
Sky - Piece of Paradise
Sloan - Smeared
Sloan - Twice Removed
Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
Stills - Logic Will Break Your Heart
The Super Friendz - Mock Up, Scale Down
Tegan and Sara - If It Was You
Tagan and Sara - So Jealous
Thrush Hermit - Clayton Park
Tragically Hip - Road Apples
Tragically Hip - Fully Completely
The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?
Venetian Snares - Huge Chrome Cylinder Box Unfolding
The Weakerthans - Left & Leaving
The Weakerthans - 'Reconstruction Site'

Ticket / CD Giveaway: Make Your Exit @ Sneaky Dee's, 25 Sep.

Toronto band Make Your Exit have a new EP, Remind Me the Reason I Came, coming out on 22 September. The band's sound is indie pop-rock with the expected xylophone and the rather less expected saxophone, plus good lead and backing vocals. Their instrumentation and vocal arrangements choices remind me of a poppier Paint Movement and sometimes a rockier Fleet Foxes. I like Make Your Exit's combination of folk and rock sensibilities. The first track off the album, "Kids," has all the ingredients in it. "Through the Winter" also showcases what the band's sound is all about. Have a listen for yourself . . .

Download: Make Your Exit, "Kids" (Remind Me the Reason I Came, 2009).
Download: Make Your Exit, "Through the Winter" (Remind Me the Reason I Came, 2009).

To celebrate the release, Make Your Exit are headlining a show at one of my favourite venues in Toronto, Sneaky Dee's, on Friday the 25th. Also on the bill are a couple bands that will compliment MYE: The Paint Movement and Corduroy. And I can get you in for free! Thanks to the good, fine folks at Audio Blood Media I've got a couple prize packs for you to win. Each one includes 2 tickets to the show plus a copy of the new disc. Sounds great, yeah? For your change at a prize, email me your full name. Get your entry to me by 11:59pm on September 23. This is a 19+ show.

CBC Radio 2 asks which Canadian places need a song?

The recent film One Week is about a cancer patient going out to see it's country. It is more about the beauty and vastness and diversity of this country than it is about cancer. Toward the end of the trailer above a Russian tourist says to the protagonist Ben (Joshua Jackson) "You live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world." We all know that that is true. Every Canadian I know has places that they are hypnotized by there are urban space, parks or skylines or rural spaces or places deep on the bush. Everyone has favorite Canadian cities, the one they live in or one that they love to visit so this fall CBC Radio 2 is asking what Canadian places need their own song?



Effective immediately Canadians can join the Great Canadian Song Quest to get regular updates on the competition and launch the campaign for their favourite place through social media tools, blogs, tweets, Facebook, photo and video postings, and more.

Then from Monday, Sept. 28-Friday, Oct. 9 Nominations are open. Canadians can go to www.cbc.ca/radio2, and click the Song Quest logo to nominate and vote for their best-loved locations and landmarks. From Monday, Oct. 12-Friday, Oct. 23 Voting begins. Shortlists of the most popular locations from each province and territory are revealed, from which Canadians can vote for a single spot in each province and territory. Canadians can also vote for their favourite artists to compose and record the new Canadian songs, from a select list of Radio 2 Canadian singer-songwriters.

On Friday, October 26, the 13 Canadian songwriters who will write the songs are revealed. The winners will have just four weeks to write the song and on Monday, Nov. 23 CBC Radio 2 will kick off the holiday season by revealing the 13 places that Canadians chose along with the songs written for those places.

Visit http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/songquest/ to get started.

Weakerthans - One Great City



The Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie - Ontario Sucks



Captain Tractor - The Last Saskatchewan Pirate

Win This: Library Voices, In Flight Safety, Julie Fader and Exclaim have a contest

It's a prize pack so good that it's not even one of NxEW's contests and I'm going to plug it anyway. Up for grabs in a contest presented by Exlaim!, Library Voices, In-Flight Safety and Julie Fader. The winner gets, for starters, a Gibson Les Paul Studio electric guitar plus copies of new CDs by all three bands and "a one-of-a-kind collaborative painting by the bands" and to top it all off you'll get postcards from the bands while they are out on tour.

To enter go check this page http://www.exclaim.ca/contests/ContestEntry.aspx?fid2=516!

In Flight Safety, Library Voices and Julie Fader all have some tour dates up, some overlap, some don't ... but as close as I can figure it it looks like this:

Library Voices:

*w/ In Flight Safety
# w/ Julie Fader
Aug 21 – Steep Rock, MB. - Chris & Rae’s wedding
Sept 4 – Regina, SK – The Exchange w/ VIC & Lazy MKs
Sept 11 – Regina, SK – U of R Welcome Week (acoustic)
Sept 12 – Saskatoon, SK – Louie’s w/ Volcanoless In Canada
Sept 17 – Brandon, MB – Western Canadian Music Awards
Sept 18 – Brandon, MB – Western Canadian Music Awards
Sept 19- – Brandon, MB – Western Canadian Music Awards
Sept 20 – Brandon, MB – Western Canadian Music Awards
Sept 25 – Victoria, BC – @ Sugar ( Rifflandia Fest ) w/ Zeus & Cuff The Duke
Sept 26 – Roberts Creek, BC – The Legion w/ Matt Goud
Sept 27 – Vancouver, BC – The Media Club *#
Sept 28 – Kelowna, BC – Habitat *#
Sept 30 – Canmore, BC – Communitea Cafe *#
Oct 2 – Edmonton, AB – Flow Lounge & Grill *#
Oct 3 – Calgary, AB – Legion #1 w/ Two Hours Traffic & Spiral Beach *#
Oct 4 – Lethbridge, AB – Henotic *
Oct 6 – Regina, SK – The Exchange *
Oct 7 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigos *
Oct 9 – Winnipeg, MB – Lo Pub *
Oct 10 – Thunder Bay, ON – Jacks *
Oct 11 – Sault Ste Marie, ON – LopLops *
Oct 14 – Charlottetown, PEI – Hunters Ale House * w/ Milks & Rectangles
Oct 15 – Fredericton, NB – Capital Bar * w/ Milks & Rectangles
Oct 16 – Moncton, NB – Paramount Lounge * w/ Milks & Rectangles
Oct 17 – Halifax, NS – The Seahorse Tavern * w/ Milks & Rectangles
Oct 20 – Montreal, QUE – Le Petit Campus *#
Oct 21 – Kingston, ON - The Living Room *#
Oct 22 – TBA
Oct 23 - TBA
Oct 24 – TBA
Oct 25 – Windsor, ON - Phog Lounge
Oct 26 – TBA
Oct 27 - Hamilton, ON – The Casbah - *#
Oct 28 – Guelph, ON – The E Bar *#
Oct 29 – Toronto, ON – El Mocambo *#
Oct 30 – Ottawa, ON – The Live Lounge *#

In Flight Safety:

all dates w/ Library Voices
* w/ Julie Fader
+ w/ Milks & Rectangles

September 25 Victoria, BC Element
September 27 Vancouver, BC Media Club*
September 28 Kelowna, BC Habitat*
September 30 Canmore, AB Communitea*
October 02 Edmonton, AB Flow*
October 03 Calgary, AB The Legion
October 04 Lethbridge, AB Henotic
October 06 Regina, SK Exchange
October 07 Saskatoon, SK Amigo's
October 09 Winnipeg, MB The Lo Pub
October 10 Thunder Bay, ON Jack's
October 11 Sault Ste Marie, ON Loplops
October 14 Charlottetown, PE Hunter's+
October 15 Fredericton, NB The Capitol+
October 16 Moncton, NB Paramount+
October 17 Halifax, NS The Seahorse+
October 20 Montreal, PQ Le Petit Campus*
October 21 Kingston, ON Mansion*
October 27 Hamilton, ON The Casbah*
October 28 Guelph, ON E-Bar*
October 29 Toronto, ON El Mocambo*
October 30 Ottawa, ON The Live Lounge*

Julie Fader:

4 Sep 2009 20:00
Shelter Valley Festival - (playing in Great Lake Swimmers) GRAFTON
9 Sep 2009 20:00
DAKOTA TAVERN - JULIE FADER - Early Show!!! TORONTO
17 Sep 2009 21:00
The Drake - JULIE FADER - Hand Drawn Dracula showcase TORONTO
19 Sep 2009 20:00
Church of the Redeemer (playing in Chad VanGaalen band) TORONTO
21 Sep 2009 20:00
POLARIS AWARDS! TORONTO
27 Sep 2009 20:00
Media Club - SOLO - tour w/Library Voices & In-Flight Safety VANCOUVER
28 Sep 2009 20:00
Habitat -SOLO - tour w/ Library Voices & In-Flight Safety KELOWNA
30 Sep 2009 20:00
Communitea Cafe -SOLO - tour w/Library Voices & In-Flight Safety CANMORE
1 Oct 2009 20:00
O Patro Vys - JULIE FADER - POP MONTREAL - Hand Drawn Dracula showcase MONTREAL
2 Oct 2009 20:00
Flow - SOLO - tour w/ Library Voices & In-Flight Safety EDMONTON
8 Oct 2009 20:00
The Exchange (playing in the Chad VanGaalen band) REGINA
9 Oct 2009 20:00
Park Theatre (playing in the Chad VanGaalen band) WINNIPEG
10 Oct 2009 20:00
Broadway Theatre (playing in the Chad VanGaalen band) SASKATOON
14 Oct 2009 20:00
Alix Goolden Theatre (playing in the Chad VanGaalen band) VICTORIA
15 Oct 2009 20:00
The Rio Theatre (playing in the Chad VanGaalen band) VANCOUVER
16 Oct 2009 20:00
The Habitat (playing in the Chad VanGaalen band) KELOWNA
18 Oct 2009 20:00
Myer Horowitz Theatre (playing in the Chad VanGaalen band) EDMONTON
20 Oct 2009 20:00
Petit Campus - SOLO - tour w/ Library Voices & In-Flight Safety MONTREAL
21 Oct 2009 20:00
Living room - SOLO - tour w/ Library Voices & In-Flight Safety KINGSTON
22 Oct 2009 20:00
Seahorse Tavern - JULIE FADER - Halifax POP EXPLOSION HALIFAX
27 Oct 2009 20:00
Casbah - tour w/Library Voices & In-Flight Safety HAMILTON
28 Oct 2009 20:00
E Bar - tour w/Library Voices & In-Flight Safety GUELPH
29 Oct 2009 20:00
El Mocambo -w/Library Voices & In-Flight Safety TORONTO
30 Oct 2009 20:00
Live Lounge w/ Library Voices & In-Flight Safety OTTAWA

Dinosaur Bones, Whale Tooth and a Fast Contest

This Friday in Toronto Dinosaur Bones and Whale Tooth are playing a show at the Whippersnapper Gallery hosted by Broken Pencil "the magazine of zine culture and independent arts" if you'd like to go we have a special, recession buster contest for you: the very first person to email northbyeastwest [at] gmail.com and ask will win two tickets to the show and a copy of both bands CDs! Ok go!

Dinosaur Bones - N.Y.E. @ the Boat



Whale Tooth - Coastline

Make a video for Metric

Via Metric's MySpace.

"If you’ve ever wanted to make a music video for METRIC, here’s your chance! Dailymotion.com is running a contest where you can enter your own video for “Sick Muse”. We will choose the winning video, and dailymotion.com is providing a happening prize package! Check out “How To Enter” for more details… the contest ends August 4th. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

xox metriclovesyou"

Whether you love them back or not, can you make a good video?

Win Library Voices Stuff (and Catch Them on Tour)

Regina's phenomenal Library Voices are taking to the road, they also have a new album wrapped up. A release date hasn't been set yet but you can win a copy (which you'll get as soon as they are ready.) Just drop an email to [email protected] between now and July 7 a winner will be selected at random and will receive an autographed copy of Library Voices new album and a Library Voices tshirt.

You can check out a copy of the new Library Voices song 'Drinking Games' right now on their Myspace (check out an older live version of the song below), you can follow their trials on the road on a tour blog they are doing for Exclaim (I'm guessing you already follow their regular blog) and you can catch them live on the days and places listed at the bottom of this post.

The band also has a special message to pass on following last year's incident.

"Dear thieves,

It's with an air of bashfulness that we have to admit we were just a bunch of small town kids naive to the cruel realities of big city living. On our last tour you managed to rob us of $10000 worth of our beloved gear, making off with everything from guitars and saxophones to drums and amplifiers, but this time around we aren't going to make it so easy on you. Not only will be hauling ALL of our gear inside EVERY night, we will also be touring with a pack of angst ridden coyotes. The coyotes have agreed to sleep in the trailer at night and keep a watchful eye over our van. They also breath fire, spit venom, and can shoot swarms of bees from their paws. Just sayin'. "

Best,
Library Voices"

Library Voices at CIUT - Song 1 - "Drinking Games"



July 1 Ohanlon's, Regina, Sk
July 8 The Exchange, Regina, Sk w/ Black Francis (of The Pixies) *solo acoustic show
July 11 Flames Central, Calgary, Ab w/ Hawksley Workman
July 17 Ottawa Blues Fest, Ottawa On Subway Stage @ 7pm
July 18 Zoo Bizarre, Montreal, Que w/ Pattern Is Movement
July 19 TBA
July 21 Horseshoe Tavern,Toronto, On
July 22 TBA
July 23 Blind Dog, Windsor, On
July 24 TBA
July 25, 26 Hillside Festival, Guelph, On w/ Patrick Watson, Tokyo Police Club, etc
July 27
July 28 Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, On
July 29 Call The Office, London, On w/ Songs From A Room
July 30 TBA
July 31 The Apollo, Thunder Bay, On
Aug 1 Icelandic Festival, Gimli, Mb

This Book is Broken Contest

You may have missed it over a busy weekend but on Wednesday NxEW writer John Teeter posted an interview with Stuart Berman author of 'This Book is Broken' ir you haven't read it you really should plus there is a contest:

"The book has been available in stores since May 16th, but its official launch is tonight in Toronto at the Arts & Crafts NXNE showcase at The Courthouse (57 Adelaide Street E). The book's publisher, House of Anansi Press has made one copy available to NxEW.ca to give away to one lucky reader. Send an email to "teeterboy3[at]gmail[dot]com" with "BSS Book Giveaway" in the subject line and one randomly drawn winner will get their very own copy of the book!"

Deadline for entries is Canada Day, July 1, 2009.

Win a FREE Copy of Sights & Sounds’ Monolith

Hey guys! So, last month we featured a review of Canadian rockers Sights & Sounds new CD Monolith. Now, with great thanks to their label Smallman Records, here’s your chance to win a FREE copy of this CD.

How do I get my hands on this FREE CD you’re asking? Simple, just make sure you’re on our mailing list…and that’s it! If you’re already on our mailing list, you’re automatically entered into the random draw. If not, get on it and JOIN TODAY!

We’ll leave the entry period open for a week or so and announce our random winner later next week. Make sure to spread the love, tell all your friends know about the contest and get them to join the mailing list TODAY!.

Make sure to check out our Sights & Sounds CD Review of Monolith right here on Off the Dial!

"This Book is Broken: A Broken Social Scene Story"

"This Book is Broken" by Stuart Berman (House of Anansi Press) documents the history of Broken Social Scene. Berman had a unique perspective, having been friends with the nucleus of the group from the get-go, living in the same building that connected the band's founders, Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning as it grew in acclaim. The result is better than a fly-on-the-wall vantage point of how Broken Social Scene came to be, and a forthright and honest account of the highs and lows of being in a dynamic, organic, and many-membered band.

Calling it a daunting task collecting quotes, photos, and assembling the many perspectives into one, cohesive history that encapsulates the band's story is an understatement. Especially when you consider that Stuart was — and still is — friends with the group.

His 'visual and oral history' is as textured and juxtaposed as the band's songs, while adhering to the linear path of time and is what makes this such an engaging read. Berman takes care to discuss not only what was going on within the band at the time, but also what was influencing them externally. The story is fleshed out with quotes from interviews at the time, as well as those reflecting back. And the binding to the whole project is the inclusion of photos, set lists, and artwork — many never seen before outside the circle of the collective.

Stuart took the time to sit down with yours truly, via web chat and discuss the book and some of the questions that were raised by the book:



The book is a compelling and easy read. It documents a very important time period in Canadian music that has given way to the amazing and rich pool of talent that we are now proudly boasting globally. We've reached a place, because of bands like Broken Social Scene, where we're exporting as much music as we're importing. This book serves a document to the shift in thinking, creating and producing that betook the industry and served to put indie artists from Toronto on the global vernacular. And it's all done with little editorializing, and editing to make a more flattering snapshot. The book is forthright, frank, and remarkably honest.

But don't take our word for it, get your own copy and be treated to this important piece of our musical history.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

The book has been available in stores since May 16th, but its official launch is tonight in Toronto at the Arts & Crafts NXNE showcase at The Courthouse (57 Adelaide Street E). The book's publisher, House of Anansi Press has made one copy available to NxEW.ca to give away to one lucky reader. Send an email to "teeterboy3[at]gmail[dot]com" with "BSS Book Giveaway" in the subject line and one randomly drawn winner will get their very own copy of the book!

Who Should Win Polaris Pt. II

Ok, I put up a post earlier asking who should win Polaris and this is the list that people came up with. I thought I'd ask the question one more time in case there's anyone else that people think should be added. After June 15 this list will be locked and we'll start narrowing it down.

Again:

We'll skip the full list of Rules (cause it's not the real thing) but we'll stick with the following:

The winner will be judged on artistic merit.

The artist must be Canadian.

They must have released a full length album between June 1, 2008 to May 31, 2009.


AC Newman - Get Guilty
Adam & the Amethysts - Amethyst Amulet
Aidan Baker and Tim Hecker - Fantasma Parastasie
Andre Ethier - Born of Blue Fog
Andrew Vincent - Rotten Pear
the Arkells - Jackson Square
Attack in Black - Years (By One Thousand Fingertips)
Azeda Booth - In Flesh Tones
Bell Orchestre - As Seen Through Windows
Bison BC - Quiet Earth
Black Hat Brigade - Fathers
Blackout Beach - Skin of Evil
Brian Borcherdt - Coyotes
Bruce Peninsula - AMIAM
the Burning Hell - Baby
the CFL Sessions
Chad Van Gaalen - Soft Airplane
Charles Spearin - the Happiness Project
Cour de Pirate - Self Titled
Dance Yourself to Death - Ready for Love
Deep Dark Woods - Winter Hours
Dog Day - Concentration
Dog is Blue - Makes Ghost Noises
Doug Paisley - Self Titled
Elliot Brood - Mountain Meadows
Final Fantasy - Spectrum, 14th Century
the Free Press - Half Truths & Whole Lies
the Grass Mountain Hobos - Self Titled
the Great Bloomers - Speak of Trouble
Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
Handsome Furs - Face Control
Human Highway - Moody Motorcycle
Gentleman Reg - Jet Black
Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs
Jason Bajada - Loveshit
Jenn Grant - Echoes
Joel Plaskett - Three
Jon-Rae Fletcher - Oh Maria
Julie Doiron - I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day
Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care
K'naan - Troubador
Ken Workman & the Union - self titled
Kyrie Kristmanson - Pagan Love
Laura Barrett -Victory Garden
Lovely Feathers - Fantasy of the Lot
Mark Berube - What the Boat Gave the River
Mantrakid - Palmflowerblack
Metric - Fantasies
Mother Mother - O My
NQ Arbuckle - XOK
Olenka and the Autumn Lovers - self titled
One Hundred Dolars - Forest of Tears
Pale Air Singers - self titled
Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms
Pink Mountaintops - Outside Love
Rah Rah - Going Steady
Rock Plaza Central - At The Moment Of Our Most Needing, Or If Only They Could Turn Around, They Would Know They Weren’t Alone
Said The Whale - Howe Sounds/Taking Abalonia
Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains - self titled
Shotgun Jimmie - Still Jimmie
Smothered in Hugs - the Healing Power of Injury
Snailhouse - Lies On The Prize
Sunparlour Players - Wave North
Swan Lake - Enemy Mine
Timbre Timbre - self titled
Torngat - La Petite Nicole
Weather Station - the Line
Woodpigeon - Treasury Library Canada
Years - self titled

Things Fall Apart: Win Novaks Prize Paks

The Novaks of St. John's Newfoundland are kicking off a east coast tour to celebrate their new album 'Things Fall Apart' and you can win one of two Novaks Prize Packs which include a copy of their new CD and two tickets to your choice of the following shows:

June 22 Zaphod Beeblebrox Ottawa, Ontario
June 23 The Casbah Hamilton, Ontario
June 25 The Blind Dog Windsor, Ontario
June 27 The Montreal House Peterborough, ON, Ontario
June 28 The Stubborn Mule Sarnia, Ontario
June 29 Call The Office London, Ontario
July 09 Arts Under The Stars Clarenville, Newfoundland

To enter just drop an email to [email protected] - Winners will be selected at random on June 15!

Under Those Wheels

CD Giveaway & Review: Jordaan Mason & the Horse Museum's "Divorce Lawyers I Shaved My Head."

Jordaan Mason & the Horse Museum have their debut full-length, Divorce Lawyers I Shaved My Head, ready to share with the world.

Jordaan Mason sees himself as a misfit in the local music scene. But as one of the hosts and organizers of Toronto's the Oxford Hotel presents performance series, he's a misfit that's connected to a lot of local and touring acts who work better in backyards and inside homes than they do in bars or clubs. The musicians I most associate with Jordaan are ones he already collaborates with, including Guelph's Chris Yang (who helped out on the record) and the folk duo Sarah D. (whose members are in Jordaan's band). The more polished, accessible Ghost Bees come to mind, too.

Jordaan's backing band features an ever-changing lineup, and the songs on the new record benefit from inventive instrumentation from a dozen other musicians. Take "(S)mother" for example: voice predominates, with quite acoustic guitar, saw, and a sparse piano line rounding things out. He occasionally sings with urgency, and always feeling. The lone solo track on the album, "O Jarhead! O Wife!," sung with only an acoustic guitar as accompaniment, highlights Jordaan's poetic lyricism. The songs aren't rousing tunes like some other larger folk ensembles produce. The closest the band comes to this is the percussion-heavy "The Wrong Parts (Vivian Sisters Singing)." Instead, the songs on this album evoke more reflection, primarily about relationships and intimacy. The lyrics are obscure, yet still highly personal, honest, and occasionally difficult to hear. The opening line from the first song of the album ("Bird's Nest") is "My mouth is filled with his ovaries," and it gets no less vividly strange through the album's 14 tracks. Jordaan Mason & the Horse Museum have created a record that can be listened to on different levels, both lyrical and musical.

Download: Jordaan Mason & the Horse Museum, "Bird's Nest" (Divorce Lawyers I Shaved My Head, 2009).
Download: Jordaan Mason & the Horse Museum, "Wild Dogs: Divorce" (Divorce Lawyers I Shaved My Head, 2009).

Courtesy of the band I've got a copy of Divorce Lawyers I Shaved My Head to give away. For details, see my blog.

Design a T for Hey Ocean?

Vancouver band Hey Ocean! want you to design their next t-shirt for them. The winner of the contest will get a Hey Ocean! prize pack including signed t-shirts, cds and two tickets to a Hey Ocean! show of your choice. Full details are over on their Myspace blog but the basic rules go like this:

"- You can submit as many designs as you want
- The only rule is that anything submitted shouldn't be more than 2 colors as we're having the shirts screen printed..
- Don't forget you can also choose the color of the shirt itself..
- Send all submissions to [email protected] (either send us a link or attach a file)
- Make sure to tell us your FULL NAME and CITY
- We don't necessarily need high quality versions for the submissions but we will if your design gets chosen
- deadline for designs is June 30th.

Hey Ocean - A Song About California

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere:

Library Voices have a couple of posts on their blog with photos chronicling all of the excitement that happens in a touring van (see photo at left.)

On CBC Radio 3 outgoing intern Amanda Ash did a great mini-radio doc on women in independent music.

CBC Radio 3 Podcast #206 is up with Joel Plaskett, K-Os, Holy Fuck, the Got To Get Got and More.

Kevin Drew's first ever blog entry is up on the Broken Social Scene Myspace.

HistoryJen has a couple of tickets to give away to the 9th annual Bob Dylan Tribute Night at C'est What on May 24.

Herohill is having a contest, giving away Dog Day tix.

the Phog Blog has some live footage from the Brasstronaut show.

the Toronto Music Blog Collective has a review up of the CFL Sessions.

Ticket/CD Giveaway & Review: Five Blank Pages.

After seven years and three albums—2004's Spaces to Occupy and Abandon, 2007's full-length Last Blush, and the new Young Glow EP—Toronto-by-way-of-Brampton band Five Blank Pages are calling it quits. The two remaining original members Noyan Hilmi and his wife Pinar Ozyetis reunite with their former drummer (Noyan’s sister Chelen, helping out on the kit but mostly singing backup; Michael Reles is the band's current drummer) and bassist (Rajiv Thavanathan) to play their final show on Saturday, 23 May, at the Mod Club in Toronto. Also serving as a CD release party for Young Glow, the show will be opened by up-and-coming popsters Boys Who Say No, and Rajiv’s main band these days, Oh No Forest Fires. Five Blank Pages will be joined on stage by many special guest musicians who will no doubt give the band’s warm, melodic pop-rock tunes the treatment they deserve. I was at FBP’s last CD release show, and can attest to the specialness of the extra live instrumentation. This will be a great evening of local music, starting with the completely bop-able BWSN and the semi-spazzy pop of ONFF, and ending with a fitting celebration of a group of great musicians and wonderful people.

And what about that new record, you ask?

The EP opens with a slightly unsettling keyboard melody that right away signals that this new recording is a bit of a departure for the band. And, as it turns out, the melancholic mood on Last Blush’s standout track, "Marrow," is all over this album. In the full-length, "Marrow" seemed oddly placed among happier songs, but looking back—and now with Young Glow in my music player—I see where the mood fits.

The first track, “Stem Skin & Pit,” isn’t the Canadiana comfort rock-pop that I expected. (I guess I wasn’t paying attention to the title.) Fast-paced drumming, synced up boy-girl vocals, quick time signature changes, and a slow-but-rocking guitar part midway through builds on other musical layers. “To No One” shines the vocal spotlight once again equally on Pinar as it does Noyan, and the mood is subdued here, too. There’s a sense of urgency, apprehension, but finally comes acceptance. The song’s last minute and a bit is a stark change. We’ve moved forward, not having forgotten the earlier worries, but having come to terms with them. Noyan takes us back to more familiar ground on “Cardigan,” but the album’s mood remains consistent. This tune reminds me a little of the Rural Alberta Advantage’s calmer moments. In other words, strong vocal, keyboard, and drum lines combine for a somewhat melancholic air. The electric guitar takes centre stage later on, and when the backing vocals come in we’re back at hopeful acceptance. Pinar’s Rebekah Higgs / Megan Hamilton-esque vocals are one of the album’s strengths. This is something else I hadn’t expected from FBP, but it’s a happy treat for me. The juxtaposition between the sweet, sustained singing and the heavy rock instrumentation on “What an Ending” bring the EP to a close. What an ending, indeed.

Download: Five Blank Pages, “Marrow” (Last Blush, 2007).
Download: Five Blank Pages, “Stem Skin & Pit” (Young Glow, 2009).

Courtesy of Five Blank Pages and Over the Top Festival, I’ve got a pair of tickets to the show on 23 May and a copy of the new album to give away to one lucky person. In addition, the band’s letting me give away a digital download of the EP. If you want a chance to win the tickets/CD, email me at historyjenATgmailDOTcom with “FBP, ONFF, BWSN” in the subject line (ha! sorry), and get that to me by 11:59pm on Thursday, 21 May. The show’s all ages and relatively early, so anyone with plans to be in Toronto that evening can enter. For a chance to win the digital download, email me with “I want the Young Glow” in the subject line (ha! groan). Same deadline, but this time anyone, anywhere in the world can enter. In each case I’ll need your full name in the body of the email. Good luck!

Here’s to you, FBP! You were one of the first bands that I latched onto when I started going to shows a couple years ago. Thanks for the memories, and good luck with everything that comes next.

Fine Print: The Over the Top Festival presents Five Blank Pages (final show / CD release) w/Oh No Forest Fires and Boys Who Say No @ The Mod Club, 6:30pm, $12 ($10 in adv). All ages. (This one will be over by 10pm, so no straggling!)

Winners Announced in Valery Gore Remix Contest

Via Valery Gore and Do Right Music the Valey Gore remix contest which was launched in April announced it's winners today.

"It wasn’t easy to narrow it down to one winner but after reviewing all the remixes we are pleased to announce Kidstreet, from Toronto as the winner with their up-tempo dance version of the song. The other entries worth honourable mention include remixes from “Teen” (Miami), “Devhender83” (Ontario) and “Nery Bauer” (Brazil)."

The winning remixes sound like this:



You can catch Valery Gore on June 27 - Toronto Jazz Fest - Supermarket - Opening for The Sea & Cake, July 12 - Ottawa Bluesfest, July 17 - Atlantic Jazz Festival, July 19 - Evolve Festival - Antigonish.

Slim Twig Contest: Win Two Tickets + New CD

Toronto's own Slim Twig (who you might have caught in Bruce McDonald's film the Tracey Fragments with Ellen Page) will be officially unveiling his new CD Contempt on Friday, May 29 at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. The night, according to the Facebook Event Page, looks something like this:

SLIM TWIG & THE YOUNG HUSSIES
this is a covers set with a band featuring members of:

Actual Water
Huckleberry Friends
Creeping Nobodies (r.i.p)
$100

SLIM TWIG & THE MERCY MERCENARIES
this is a set of the regular slum twag shizz.

WYRD VISIONS
this lunatic woodsmen is opening the night with mystic prophecy drone shit.

ALSO THERE WILL BE COLLABORATIONS FROM BROKEN TREEFORT (rapp attack) & TROPICS (click clack assault)."

If you'd like to go and take a friend for free and nothing drop an email to [email protected] with 'Slim Twig Contest' in the subject line. Next monday we'll randomly pick the winner of two tickets to the CD release show and a free copy of the new CD.

Plus, everyone who enters or doesn't can have a free copy of Spit It Twig - the Slim Twig mixtape. (This actually has nothing to do with the contest.) Grab it at http://www.sendspace.com/file/gl64nz!

Anyone can enter the contest, but if you're not in Toronto we can't help you get here.

Slim Twig Tropics

Private Metric Shows In Western Canada

From their blog:

Big News!

Jimmy and I just agreed to do a series of 5 private acoustic appearances in Western Canada at the end of the month with support from some local radio stations in each of the cities we're going to visit... but there is a twist. There won't be any tickets sold for these shows. Originally, the only way to get in was going to be through radio station contests, but since we're going to be passing through and we always want to take care of you guys, we decided to move the shows into slightly bigger venues, while still keeping it totally intimate, so we can give out some tickets directly to fans. There are very few tickets available, so click here to enter to win.

We're also holding back some tickets for people who pre-ordered the record directly from us. Half of them will go exclusively to those who pre-ordered the deluxe limited edition, and the other half will go to anyone who bought any one of the Fantasies packages. These tickets will be randomly distributed.

For anyone who can't make it or doesn't end up being able to get tickets, don't worry, we're planning another massive Canadian tour for later this year.

I won tickets just now from a Vancouver radio station The Peak after calling for days and days. Needless to say, I'm deliriously happy! (Sorry lioness.)

Vancouver show details:

Thursday, April 23
The Media Club
**19+ show

Apostle of Hustle announce tour and want YOU to open!

Apostle of Hustle have announced a tour of southern Ontario during May. You can score a free digital copy of their new album Eats Darkness out May 19th, 2009 if you pre-order tickets to any of the shows.

And as a pretty awesome added bonus, they're having a contest to find opening bands for the tour (see dates below). Interested musicians can submit their info, a myspace link, and a short summary of their music and why they(you) should be Apostle of Hustle's opener by email to [email protected] by May 1 (more info here). This is a great idea, and I can't wait to see whomever wins and opens alongside Apostle of Hustle.

5/20/09 – Guelph, ON @ E-Bar
5/21/09 – Hamilton, ON @ The Casbah
5/22/09 – Peterborough, ON @ Montreal House
5/23/09 – Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox
5/27/09 – Kingston, ON @ The Grad Club
5/29/09 – Toronto, ON @ The Music Gallery
5/30/09 – Waterloo, ON @ Starlight Room

You can also acquire a free copy of Apostle of Hustle's song Perfect Fit by signing up for their mailing list.

Brick Tattoos: Phog Needs Artists

Windsors Phog Lounge is calling for artists and designers to help them come up with new murals to decorate the building:

"Kagan McLeod and his brother Sean McLeod (director of Steph Copeland's new music video) are responsible for the amazing original mural on the side of Phog...the one with the dogs, birds, and woman holding a martini glass...

We have been trying to convince Kagan to come back to his hometown, from Toronto, to design and paint the FRONT of Phog Lounge. He is VERY BUSY, illustrating for almost every major magazine in Canada, and The National Post. He's a BEAST.

We want our logo and....something...on the front to tell people what we do/are...and we're stuck.

I think one of the things keeping him back was our inability to supply a design.

So jump in and lend them a hand if your mind works in that direction.