About « Singing Lamb

About Singing Lamb

The Singing Lamb is a Toronto-based music website that was originally launched in October 2008. "The Lamb" is the brain-child of creators, Melody Lau and Graham Robertson. The website is devoted to providing Torontonians with the essential tools for musical survival in the city, which includes but does not pertain to concert listings, record stores around town, news, selected reviews and interviews.

With the help and support of Graham in the summer of 2008, Graham and Melody began building the site, based on Melody's previous Blogspot site, Pavement Puddle Stars. On January 10th 2009, The Singing Lamb was re-launched with the help of a full staff of writers and photographers.

Most of our writers are currently attending Ryerson University in Toronto for journalism but there are contributors from various other locations such as Ottawa and Montreal. Think of it as just a group of friends who love to listen to, play, and write about music!

Melody is the Editor-in-Chief/Publicist/Head Writer, if we were to give titles. Most blog posts are written by her and majority of ideas stem from her tiny, journalistic brain. Melody's original motivation to start The Singing Lamb was to delve deeper into the independent music scene within Toronto, of which she grew an obsession over the past few years. To this day, she continues to plough through the city for new bands and tunes.

The mandate of the website is to share our love for music, regardless of relevancy to what other popular blogs are buzzing about today. We don't strive to inform you on the trendiest bands out there and the "next big things", we just write what we know and what we like at the moment. We want to help people open up to new music, introduce them to something different and make a suggestion or two. But we're more than happy to take your suggestions too! The main goal is to create a community and environment for people to just discuss music. Read, listen and discuss.

SUBMISSIONS

The Singing Lamb reviews a limited amount of albums and shows, but we're always open to hearing new music! If you're an artist and are interested in being reviewed, please send Melody an e-mail with "Review" in the subject line and a brief description of your music! If you have any news tips or show information, feel free to share that as well! E-mail Melody at melodylau.620@gmail.com or leave a comment and we'll get back to you in a jiffy!

Melody Lau - Editor-in-Chief / The Singing Lamb

Melody Lau (a.k.a. The Singing Lamb) is currently attending Ryerson University for journalism, but when she is not writing about miscellaneous things in class, she devotes her time and love to "The Lamb". Melody has written for various other publications including the Toronto Star, 75orless.com, Truth Explosion Magazine, The Remote Stylist and is currently serving an internship with music marketing/publicity company The Musebox. At the moment, she also shares writing duties at Chartattack.com, Sticky Magazine and Aux TV. She secretly wishes to be a musician, but settles for writing about them instead. A true Torontonian, you can often find Melody at local record stores (particularly Criminal Records of which she occasionally serves as an employee at), front-and-centre at shows, or just preaching on the streets about how great Toronto's local music scene is. Seriously.

Favourite Artist(s):
» Broken Social Scene
» Feist
» Yeah Yeah Yeahs
» The Rural Alberta Advantage
» Green Go

Favourite Album(s):
» Metric - Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
» The Arcade Fire - Funeral
» Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell

Best Show(s):
» The Arcade Fire @ Massey Hall
» Final Fantasy @ Tranzac & Harbourfront Centre
» Broken Social Scene @ Harbourfront Centre
» The Dirty Projectors @ Opera House & Lee's
» Think About Life @ Everywhere

If you could sing karaoke with anyone, who would you sing with?
» Bjork

Leah Robinson - Writer

Leah can't recall where she originally hails from, but her lack of a permanent home is assuaged by her love affair with the GTA. She is currently waist-deep in Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo but is often distracted by literature and thinks it would be great if these two passions would serendipitously meet in the form of an as-of-yet undetermined dream profession.

Favourite Artist(s):
» Stars
» Broken Social Scene
» Neko Case

Favourite Album(s):
» Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
» Boby Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
» Stars - Heart

Favourite Show(s):
» Broken Social Scene @ Harbourfront
» Metric @ Pandamonium (Ottawa)

If you were a singing animal, which would you be?
» A Liger!

Max Mertens - Writer

Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Max Mertens now resides in the hectic crowds of Toronto, attending Ryerson University for journalism. When not in class, Max can be found exploring his new home (especially Kensington Market), going to shows that never would have come to Nova Scotia, poking his head into record stores, partying at his residence with his "J-School" posse, or working on his music Facebook group, "Lights Out! Guerilla Radio!"

Favourite Artist(s):
» The White Stripes
» The White Stripes - White Blood Cells

Best Show(s):
» Stars @ The Summersonic Festival (Halifax)

If you were a singing animal, which would you be?
» Duck-billed platypus - just because.

Christine Moraski - Writer

Christine wishes she was polish and a highly skilled polka dancer but instead she is desperately french-canadian. She currently lives in Montreal but is secretly in love with Toronto. You can find her lost in record stores and Dolloramas on rainy days. On sunny days, she likes to sing old french songs to drunk people in Parc Lafontaine, poutine in one hand and trying to hold on to her bicycle with the other one. She apologizes for Celine Dion.

Favourite Artist(s):
» Patti Smith
» Broken Social Scene
» Camille
» Feist
» Sonic Youth

Favourite Album(s):
» Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People
» Camille - Le Fil
» Feist - Let It Die

Favourite Show(s):
» Feist @ Cabaret du Capitol
» Camille @ Le Metropolis

If you were a singing animal, which would you be?
» A mezzo-soprano kangaroo.

Carmel Garvez - Writer

Carmel is a student at the University of Toronto. When she is not aimlessly wandering around campus or having staring contests with the squirrels at Queens Park, she is either napping or at a show.

Favourite Artist(s):
» Born Ruffians
» The Strokes

Favourite Album(s):
» Five Roses - Miracle Fortress
» Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
» Little Joy - Little Joy

Favourite Show(s):
» Born Ruffians @ Opera House ('08 and '09)

If you were a singing animal, which would you be?
» A clinically obese ferret named Albert, or Alberto (for some flare).

Alie Lavoie - Writer

Alie is heading into her second year at Carleton University, which she decided to attend after being turned down for Concordia's creative writing program. That one still stings a bit. Regardless, she is now a Film major, English minor and is fairly jazzed about it. She has a greedy amount of music that she forces on people in the form of mixes. Her most wishy of all wishes is to live in Oregon where she would spend her time: 1) roadtripping on frequent tours with her pop/rock nineties-sounding band, and 2) writing novels and poems that would be funny and beautiful in a Jonathan Safran Foer/Nicole Krauss/Karen Connelly kind of way.

Favourite Artist(s):
» Wintersleep
» Ben Kweller
» Stephen Malkmus

Favourite Album(s):
» Ben Kweller - Sha Sha
» Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ Fight
» The Stills - Logic Will Break Your Heart
» Built to Spill - There's Nothing Wrong With Love
» Attack in Black - Years (By One Thousand Fingertips)

Favourite Show(s):
» Wintersleep @ Barrymore's
» Any Holy Fuck show. Ever.
» Cadence Weapon @ Wolfe Island Musicfest 2008
» Final Fantasy @ Sydneham Street United Church

If you were a singing animal, which would you be?
» The North American House Hippo.

Jeff Jewiss - Photo Editor

Jeff picked up a camera almost two years ago and started taking it to shows. Photography was the perfect bridge for his love of visual art and music and he hasn't looked back after deciding on a self taught route. When he's not working part time on his BA in Economics at McMaster, he's taking advantage of every opportunity to eat, sleep and breathe photography. You can follow his work at http://www.jeffjewissphotography.com

Favourite Artist(s):
» Foals
» Minus the Bear
» MuteMath
» Ratatat

Favourite Album(s):
» A Wilhelm Scream - Ruiner
» Misery Signals - Of Malice And The Magnum Heart

Favourite Show(s):
» Holy Fuck @ The Kool Haus

If you were a singing animal, which would you be?
» A fox.

Jerry Vo - Photographer

Jerry is a Toronto-based Mechanical Engineering Technologist about to embark on a renewable energy technology program at McMaster University. He spends much of his time dabbling in various forms of photography, often finding himself in the middle of elaborate lighting schemes (thank goodness for Strobist!). His work can be found at http://www.temptingf8.com.

Favourite Artist(s):
» Magneta Lane
» City and Colour
» Stars

Favourite Album(s):
» Magneta Lane - Dancing With Daggers
» City and Colour - Bring Me Your Love
» Stars - In Our Bedroom After The War

Favourite Show(s):
» City and Colour @ Massey Hall
» Magneta Lane @ The Horseshoe Tavern

If you were a singing animal, which would you be?
» A singing LOLcat.

Michael Fil - Photographer

An amateur shutterbug and perpetual student, Michael is currently juggling classes at York University and George Brown College. You can usually find him putting off school work; riding the TTC for hours, earbuds playing sweet sweet Canadian music. A Russian immigrant, Michael lives in Thornhill, but tells everyone on the interwebs that he is in Toronto (because he loves it so!)

Favourite Artist(s):
» Broken Social Scene (and their subsidiaries)
» Modest Mouse
» Tegan and Sara

Favourite Album(s):
» Young Galaxy - Young Galaxy
» Broken Social Scene - Your Forgot It In People
» Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak

Favourite Show(s):
» Tegan and Sara @ Massey Hall
» Modest Mouse @ Sound Academy

If you were a singing animal, which would you be?
» A black bear baritone.

Matthew Braga - Photographer/Writer

Matthew was put on this Earth as humanity's only saviour from the imminent robot apocalypse. You *think* your toaster is a subservient cooking appliance, but just you wait.

He currently lives with his wife and two children in Chicago, Illinois, along with his dog, Leonard. You can find him online at The Horrible Fanfare.

Favourite Artist(s):
» Radiohead
» Beck
» Gorillaz
» Oasis
» Broken Social Scene

Favourite Album(s):
» Demon Days - Gorillaz
» Definitely Maybe - Oasis
» Mutations - Beck
» OK Computer - Radiohead

Favourite Show(s):
» Broken Social Scene @ The Courthouse
» Beck @ The Sound Academy

If you were a singing animal, which would you be?
» A singing Tribble!

Guest Contributors

Bobby Beattie
Brian Trinh
Brian Vendiola
Cashlyn Teggart
Charise Aragoza
Egin Kongoli
Jonathan Hutchinson
Daniel Lee
David Oliver
Jennifer Polk
Joseph Fuda
Katherine Mark
Kathy Grant
Lauren Schreiber
Nathaniel Wisnicki
Ralph Baldo
Robert Yarmolinsky
Robin Luoma
Roman Melnik
Sally Robins
Stephanie Luong
Steve Brunton