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Nostalgia Machine

Last night at Lee’s Palace, The Super Friendz reunited and brought the house down. Holy shit. That was truly one of the best shows I have seen in a long time. I had never seen The Super Friendz in the ’90s, or during their first reunion tour in 2003 or 2004. When they announced they would be playing Halifax Pop Explosion in October, I debated going… all the way to Halifax… for a single band. Fortunately they announced a Toronto date, and those two shows were the entirety of this tour. I’m very happy they decided to come to Toronto. While I had never seen The Super Friendz, this is… Read More »Nostalgia Machine

Dan Mangan

  Dan Mangan Live at the Danforth Music Hall Toronto, ON 25 October 2012

Heartless Bastards

Went to see The Heartless Bastards last night at Lee’s Palace. I brought along a camera. Opening was Dana Falconberry (whose record I purchased, and she was confused by Canadian money) and Futurebirds.

Joel Plaskett Emergency at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Recently Canadian heartthrob and rock balladeer Joel Plaskett committed himself to recording and delivering a song a week. He would go into the studio, record a song, mix and master it, and then send it off to the CBC where it would premiere the next day, and then be available for purchase on iTunes. This is Scrappy Happiness the latest Joel Plaskett Emergency record. For those unaware, The Joel Plaskett Emergency is Chris Pennell, Dave Marsh, and of course, Joel Plaskett. Plaskett has released seven albums since 1999 and penned some truly classic Canadian songs. In Need of Medical Attention, Joel Plaskett (1999) Down At The Khyber, The Joel Plaskett… Read More »Joel Plaskett Emergency at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre

#EV12 Day Nine

I started my final day in Berlin by heading up near the zoo to join a walking tour of Sachsenhausen, the concentration camp nearest to the city. I couldn’t find the meeting point, so I was sitting on the side of the street observing Berlin life and listening to Chemical Chords by Stereolab. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9LwpTYLJvY&w=450] At that point a woman came up to me and said, “sorry, I noticed your Apple jacket I was wondering if you could help us with our iPad?” seeing as she introduced me to the fact that Berlin’s Starbucks have wifi, I was more than happy to help out this older couple. I learned that Skype for iOS really sucks… Read More »#EV12 Day Nine

Magnetic Fields at The Sound Academy

Did you know that security sucks at the Sound Academy? For those unaware, The Sound Academy is the worst venue in Toronto. Situated at the foot of Cherry Street, The Sound Academy is a large warehouse with bars, shitty sound and worse sightlines. After seeing Belle & Sebastian there1 I vowed never to return. However, I knew I would break that for three bands, Belle & Sebastian, The Magnetic Fields, and The Beatles. Fortunately, Belle & Sebastian felt they needed to apologize to their fans for having played there before, so I don’t imagine they will play there again. Unfortunately The Beatles aren’t touring. However, The Magnetic Fields are touring,… Read More »Magnetic Fields at The Sound Academy

CMW at Sonic Boom

It’s Canadian Music Week time, once again. And once again, there’s not much that interests me. Sonic Boom, however is hosting days of afternoon and evening shows. There wasn’t much that interested me about yesterdays shows, except Martha Wainwright. When Wainwright released her first EP Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole, an ode to her father1 I was excited. It had some good songs. However, now, years later, I can’t remember the last time I listened to her music. It was shortly after that she released a full length album simply titled Martha Wainwright. I’ve always wanted to like her more than I actually do, to the point that I then purchased… Read More »CMW at Sonic Boom

Mike O’Neill @ Soundscapes

One of the disadvantages to going to a small show, without a stage, where you can see the set list, is the disappointment when Mike O’Neill doesn’t play “Andy” or “Camera Shy,” two of your favourite songs from his debut solo record What Happens Now? He did play “Alsatian” and “Are We Waiting,” however, so better than nothing. Mike O’Neill might be known to many of you as the bass player/songwriter from the bass and drum combo The Inbreds. Since the Inbreds break in the late ’90s, O’Neill has spent most of his time working in film, but he has released three records, What Happens Now?, The Owl, and Wild Lines.… Read More »Mike O’Neill @ Soundscapes