Toronto: Holy Fuck, Broken Social Scene Play Free All Ages Shows at Harbourfront Centre Next Weekend

I know that many of you are headed to Windsor this Saturday for the Radio 3 Phog Phest but for those of you staying in Toronto, Harbourfront totally has your back.

On Friday Night the show starts at 8:00 PM with Montreal's Winter Gloves, followed by Phog Phest headliners, "the Larry Bird's moustache of indie rock" Holy Fuck at 9:30. If you decide to linger after that you'll see DD/MM/YYYY at 11 and Styrofoam Ones to close out the night.

Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen



Then on Saturday at 8 PM (from what I can tell with no opening act and no one to follow) - Toronto mega-collective Broken Social Scene are on.

All of this is all ages and free:

Broken Social Scene - 7/4 Shoreline

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.

"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!

the Yellow Bird Project: Indie Rock T-shirts for Charity

The Yellow Bird Project sells t-shirts, but not just any t-shirts. They sell unique t-shirts that you won't find at shows. T-shirts designed by prominent indie rockers with the proceeds going to charity.

Just today there is a new shirt from the Dears the shirt was designed by Natalia Yanchak and Murray Lightburn's three year old daughter Neptune. Proceeds from the shirt go to the Pablove Foundation, which is dedicated to helping children fight cancer with love.



While you are lookling at the shirt you can also grab a free MP3 of the acoustic version of 'Whites Only Party'.

Then you can go check out shirts by the Stars, the New Pornographers and Immaculate Machine, K-Os, Broken Social Scene and others.

Broken Social Scene at Toronto Island July 11

On July 11, the one and only Broken Social Scene will headline the Olympic Island 2009 contert on Toronto Island. Joining them will be Explosions In The Sky, Thunderheist, Beach House, Apostle Of Hustle and Rattlesnake Choir.

Tickets are $61 and are available at http://www.galleryac.com/product_info.php?products_id=61456&cPath=96_118 the Facebook Event Page is here. Personally it's not my kind of thing - at most of the shows I go to $61 dollars will get me in the door, buy me a CD and a T-shirt and cover 2-3 beers with money left over, but if you like big venues and big shows it doesn't get much bigger than Broken Social Scene.

Broken Social Scene: 7/4 Shoreline

Kevin Drew dives into film-making with The Water

The Water, a 15 minute film by Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew will premiere this Friday, April 10th on Pitchfork TV. The film short features Irish actor Cillian Murphy, Canadian actor David Fox, and Canadian musician Leslie Feist as well as Feist's song 'The Water'. The Water is a visual poem which questions love, life, and death representing the song of the same name.