I don’t think there’s a real shortage of female singer-songwriters in the music world today, but if anyone deserves to break through, it’s the hard working and supremely talented Kathleen Edwards. I’ve been a casual fan of hers over the past few albums, but this new single “Change The Sheets” from the upcoming Voyageur album really impressed me. Looking forward to this new album and excited to see where it takes her. Enjoy: continue reading...
2011 marked my first attendance of the North by Northeast Festival in Toronto and, wow, is it ever a gong show. It’s like a semi-organized, chaotic cloud of music and alcohol settles over the downtown core and pummels you with parties, BBQ’s and concerts until you can’t take it anymore… at least until you realise that the bars are serving alcohol until 4am and there’s 3 more bands that you can catch before your central nervous system begins to involuntarily shut down. continue reading...
It’s with fairly sad news that I present this weeks selection for Mp3 of the Week. I recently discovered that a talented, but underappreciated band that I’ve followed over the years has called it a day. It seemed to me that Clothes Make The Man had all the pieces of the “bullshit puzzle” needed to make it in the music industry, they worked hard, but most importantly had a great sound, a great lead vocalist and more catchy songs than 5 other bands combined. But, alas, they broke up. I’m not sure exactly why, but you can probably easily guess the reasons. Anyways, the band decided to release the album they were working on for free on their website. The album is called Distance, and as I expected, it’s jammed with great songs and makes me confused and angry that a band such as theirs wouldn’t be recognized as a winner and picked up and pushed by a label with half a brain. continue reading...
How could I not feature a song called “Hockey Teeth”? Bahamas is basically a one man band from Toronto helmed by a guy named Afie Jurvanen, and the music might not sound like you’d expect. Jurvanen crafts simple tunes with pretty melodies, but the songwriting is fantastic and one listen to “Hockey Teeth” should make you want to search out more from him. Keep an eye on this guy. Enjoy: continue reading...
Arcade Fire, Photo Credit: CARAS/iPhoto
Last night, the 2011 Juno Awards ceremony took place in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre. continue reading...
Seems like there’s an abundance of “Dinosaur” themed band names these days? Maybe it’s like the bizarre influx of “Wolf” themed band names from a few years ago? Anyways, most band names are retarded anyways and I guess I shouldn’t care if the music is good, right? Dinosaur Bones is a new band from Toronto and they’re starting to generate a bit of buzz… probably thanks to the Dinosaur name… but I digress. continue reading...
Image Source: Lady Gaga Twitter
Last night, Lady Gaga shared the stage with Maria Aragon, the 10-year-old Canadian girl who uploaded a video of her covering the pop star’s song to YouTube last month. continue reading...
I’ve already admitted my love for this band in a previous blog post, but with a new EP available and news of a full length in 2011, I am once again featuring Clothes Make The Man. The new EP is a 4 song collection of new songs called Control and it does a great job of showcasing the bands sound, while also making me wish there was more material to dig into. Vocalist Ryan McLennan has such a distinct voice that it immediately jumps to the forefront of the music, but the whole band together as a whole is what really makes this band what they are. Almost every song features multiple hooks and guitar parts that are both layered over a thumping rhythm section. If there’s anything that I could complain about it’s that the band does rely heavily on the quiet/loud formula, but it’s tough to complain when the songs are great. continue reading...
I saw Clothes Make The Man perform when they came through town 3 years ago and I’ve been playing their self titled debut on an almost weekly basis since then. I’ll periodically check in on the band to see if and when they’ll be releasing a 2nd album and now it seems like that is actually on the horizon. If you visit their site you’re immediately redirected to download a new song called “Dreamless Nights”, which can only mean things are afoot. “Dreamless Nights” recalls everything I loved about this band the first time I heard them… loud guitars and big, raw vocals that are balanced out by a barrage of hooks. I can’t understand why this band hasn’t broken through more than they have. If you still need convincing then go see them live. In the meantime enjoy this tune and hope for a new album soon! continue reading...
Karkwa!
Photo: Marie-Claude Hamel continue reading...
