Posts Tagged ‘halloween’

What’s Going On?

August 23rd, 2010 | By: Carmel Garvez

Summer is winding down, but that doesn’t mean Toronto is running out of things to do and shows to go to.

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MONDAY, Aug 23
The Gladstone’s monthly “Tweetup” is part of a fundraiser for Public Displays of Affection‘s EP exhibition. They will be showcasing performances by This Month Only, composed of a Torontonian sound artist and a Danish video artist, and Allie Hughes, who we love @The Gladstone’s Melody Bar, 19+, PWYC.

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WEDNESDAY, Aug 25
Want to hit up an early Halloween party in the summer? Go check out Rich Aucoin‘s EP release of Public Publication @Tiger Bar, 19+, $10. The Facebook event blurb claims that due to the small size of the venue, “this show will SELL OUT faster than toothpaste at a meth lab, so get there early”.
But before that, go catch The Killers‘ frontman Brandon Flowers for no cost at all @MTV Live, All-ages, 5pm. FREE. I dare you show up in your Halloween costumes and outdo Flowers’ eye-makeup. DO IT. Then take pictures, and send them to us.

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THURSDAY, Aug 26
As part of her Eastern Canada tour, indie folk musician Andrea Gauster will be performing in support of the release of her second full-length We’re Not Lost at Kensington Market along with local performances by Graydon James & the Young Novelists, Kevin Miles Wilson and Tronic @The Supermarket, $10. Facebook.
Or… venture down eastward and catch Lullabye Arkestra playing with Titan and Hot Kid @The Garrison, 19+, $10. Facebook.

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FRIDAY, Aug 27
To mark the end of summer, go party with The Elwins in Newmarket! (You can always make that drive/VIVA ride.) They will be playing alongside Graham Wright (Tokyo Police Club) & The Good Times Band, The Expos, Paper Fortunes, and Bon Chapeau. All the fun happens @The White Rabbit (185 Main St. South, Newmarket, ON), All-ages, $8 (in advance)/$10 (at the door). Facebook.

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News Update

October 29th, 2009 | By: Guest Contributor

Fucked Up

Fucked Up

Have you decided on your costume for Halloween yet? If not, you’d best hurry up, as there are only three more days until October 31st. I was helping out a friend search for the missing pieces of her outfit in Kensington Market this weekend, and I couldn’t help but notice the amount of Michael Jackson-style sequined jackets that were on the racks of the used and retro clothing/costume stores. But if you are worried that dressing up as the King of Pop might give off the wrong impressions, perhaps reading this News Update might give you some costume inspiration.  Or maybe not.  At the very least, those of you without Halloween plans, might find a show worth checking out.

Want to see some great hardcore and punk bands in Toronto this week? Then you should definitely check out the Fucked Up Weekend 2009, which kicks off tomorrow and runs until Sunday. This year’s edition takes place in several venues around the city and features numerous bands that you have – and haven’t – heard of, including Toronto’s Little Girls and Metz, Montreal’s Red Mass, Washington’s Iron Lung, and the of course, the hosts themselves. Fucked Up recently announced that they will be releasing a B-sides and rarities double album, entitled Couple Tracks (EXCLAIM! has the track-listing here), which will be out January 26th. And if you think that winning a Polaris Prize will have mellowed these guys out…well, you can guess again. But if you pick one show to see at this fest, make it the all-ages Thursday showcase at the Kathedral. For seeing Damian Abraham and Co. live, here are my suggestions: wear loose-fitting clothing to this show, carry as little material possessions as possible, and prepare by drinking copious amounts of alcohol.  Details and set times for all the shows can be found over at Fucked Up’s blog.
Speaking of Pink Eyes, Mr. Abraham’s name has recently popped in a rather unlikely place: in the comments section for nominees for the “Sexiest Musician” category in the 2009 CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards.  Huh? If you disagree then feel free to head over to the CBC 3 website and vote on this and other categories. You have until this Friday at 5pm Pacific to have your say, and then voting for the long list will begin Nov. 2nd.
MSTRKRFT will be playing the Guvernment’s Halloween event, “Thriller” (See? MJ again), along with a whole slew of quote “world-class” DJs that I have never heard of. So I made the effort to look up Ireland’s Japanese Popstars and Australia’s Dirty South, and to be completely honest, they are absolute shit. But JFK and Al-P put on one hell of a show, and it might be worth the wait, especially if you’ve never seen the duo DJ live before. Your call.
If you are looking for a Halloween show with less crowd inebriation or glow sticks, and more gentle head-bobbing, British folk-pop band Noah and the Whale will be at the Horseshoe on Oct. 31st. I’ve yet to listen to their new album, The First Days Of Spring, but their “5 Years Time” was one of my favourite songs of last year. Oh, and according to their MySpace, the band requests that you come dressed up as your “favourite dead celebrity”. The band will also be stopping by Criminal Records for an in-store performance from noon to 1pm.
Spiral Beach is heading to Europe on-tour starting November 9th and they are looking to raise some funds by playing three acoustic shows. You can check the Toronto quartet out Nov. 3rd at C’est What (67 Front St. East), Nov. 6th at an artists’ consignment shop called Repsycho (676 College St., between Grace and Crawford), and/or Nov. 7th at The Only Cafe (972 Danforth Ave). All the details on the shows can be found on the Facebook event page here.
Gentleman Reg, aka Reg Vermue, will be releasing a new digital download-only EP entitled Heavy Head. The six-track EP features the previously unreleased “Justified” with Owen Pallett and Reg’s cover of Stevie Nicks’ “Wild Heart”, and will be released in two song installments (two remixes, two b-sides, two covers) starting on November 10th. By December 1st, all six songs will be available online be available online. Fans attending Gentleman Reg’s upcoming tour will be able to purchase the EP in advance as a limited edition, exclusive, download card with the EP cover art. Full details here.  In other Reg-related news, my roommate and I have reason that the Toronto singer lives in my neighbourhood, as we have seen him riding his bike and frequenting a local cafe (as if I’m going to tell you which one) on several instances. Kind of cool nonetheless.
What’s better than Alexisonfire and Australia? How about Alexisonfire IN Australia? If this sounds like a dream holiday to you, Dine Alone Records in partnership with Tourism Australia and Goway Travel, will be sending two people to Australia to see the band perform in Melbourne’s SoundWave Festival in February 2010. For contest details head here.
Before I go, I have to remind you about a show tonight put on by a good friend of the Lamb, Lauren Schreiber (if you see her there, be sure to congratulate her on her recent engagement!), a.k.a. Ms. No Shame. The Garrison bill includes London’s Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, Toronto’s The Wilderness of Manitoba, and Saskatoon’s Slow Down Molasses. This show starts at 9pm and attending will set you back only eight bucks.
Happy Halloween everyone!
Cheers,
Max

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My Heart Keeps Beating Like a Hammer

October 30th, 2008 | By: Melody Lau

Metric

Metric

I’m not going to lie; I’ve practically given up on Metric.

I haven’t heard much from the band since their 2005 release, Live it Out and I’m pretty sure fans were growing impatient of the new record. Sure, there were plenty of new tracks live (for MP3′s,www.metricforum.com is where you can find it all), most of which are pretty good, but come on guys, give me a release date already.

So I noticed today, the band’s official site had a new page posted up and it at least tells me something, finally. As the video tells, Emily Haines did take off to Buenos Aires for a bit sometime ago and clearly some good came out of it as she returned to the studio with a fresh mind and new songs. The song, “Help, I’m Alive”that plays throughout the video is actually new to me, as I have not heard of it. I actually really liked it, especially as a quieter, piano song, as opposed to the fuller, synth-infused version at the end of the video. This gives me a rejunanated sense of hope for Metric. Maybe 2009 will be the year I fall in love with Metric all over again. We’ll see when the new album drops “early 2009″. God, please let that be true.

Metric, as mentioned in my last post, will be playing at the Sound Academy on December 13th along with a whole slew of amazing acts. Tickets go on sale Saturday; presale’s on now.

Yesterday, Feist posted quite a riddle on her MySpace blog, saying:

In Toron?to,? out came a sign
Of wood,? nails?,? it wasn’?t fine

Last night?,? it said there?’?s been a heist
A stage? was took,? stole?n by Feist?

A crowd? arriv?ed,? a line up made
It might? be time for anoth?er raid

A Queen? still? true,? the King a spous?e
In Came Ron, a real full House

A lady watch?es,? ten times? an ant
If after? eight?:? late,? late,? pant,? pant

And after not only reading this message at 10:00 p.m. but also not understanding it for a while, I finally realized that Feist had played a secret show at the Cameron House on Queen St. last night at 8:00 p.m. This literally brought tears to my eyes. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to wait to see Feist at the more spacious Massey Hall on Saturday. At least I won’t have to have a riddle guide me there. Just a brain to remind me of the directions and to remember to bring my ticket.

Someone please let me know how Lykke Li’s show last week went! Opening act, Friendly Fires recently covered Li’s “I’m Good, I’m Gone“. I’m usually not a fan of many covers (okay, that may be a lie…) but this one is actually really good! Lykke Li still does it better, but Friendly Fires puts quite a fresh spin on it.

Do you religiously follow/read the online blog, B(oot)log? If you do, and you’ve been wondering, like I have, why there have been no updates of late, maybe this will explain.

The Two Koreas will be playing at the Gladstone Hotel on November 3rd.

Some things just look weird at first glance. You know what I mean? Here are some examples that I noticed tonight:

Steven Page Gets Off.

The Gay Blades on Ice Across America.

…maybe it’s just me.

M.I.A. has a new song out (from her How Many Votes Fix Mix EP), “Shells (Slow)”.

Lioness talks to Chart about Controller.Controller. They play at Wrongbar on November 14th.

The Hives are getting sued for plagiarism. Read more here.

In the Halloween spirit, Houston Press has decided to have some fun and pick out 28 “Creepy” album covers. See them all here.

Love is All is also having some Halloween fun. Watch here.

New Beck video for “Gamma Ray” here.

That’ll be it for now! Sorry for the slew of news! Just felt like I needed to tell you some stuff.

Musically,
Melody

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Give A Little Love

October 9th, 2008 | By: Melody Lau

Noah and the Whale

Noah and the Whale

Are you sick and tired of the classic YMCA dance? If so, then Noah and the Whale are here to save you.

I’m sorry if I’m behind on the Noah and the Whale bandwagon, but I am on it now and that’s all that matters. For months now, I’ve been hearing so much buzz on this UK band and until recently, I didn’t understand why. Well after paying a little visit to their MySpace and immediately after watching their video for “5 Years Time,” I finally understand. Light-hearted, fun and ever-so-catchy, Noah and the Whale at times remind me of a British version of Bishop Allen, whom I also adore. This is especially noticeable in the aforementioned single, “5 Years Time,” where fellow British darling, Laura Marling accompanies the band on vocals. That song is so darn catchy; I can listen to it fifty times a day, and not get tired of it – for a few weeks. That also brings me back to my Bishop Allen comparison, as “5 Years Time” always makes me think of Allen’s “Click Click Click Click”. I don’t know why, but it just does. So if you are still oblivious to the world of Noah and the Whale, I suggest you start from that song and gradually build your love for them there. Oh, and the YMCA reference? Watch “5 Years Time” and you’ll see.

On that note, I would also like to bring your attention to Noah and the Whale’s upcoming show at the El Mocambo on December 9th. Not a free show like the one at the Horseshoe last time, but completely worth paying for!

One show that will be free is today’s in-store performance at Criminal Records, featuring B.C.’s own Brasstronaut. I’m currently on their MySpace, getting familiar with some of their material, and I must admit, it’s quite decent. Heavy on the brass (as their band name would imply) – yes. Catchy though? Yes! They play at 6 p.m. They also played last night at the Drake with The Two Koreas and Invasion, so if you’re upset that you missed that, run down to Criminal Records now!

Another in-store next week to look forward to would be Toronto’s very own Lioness, who will be at Sonic Boom on October 14th at 7 p.m. Unfortunately, I will be missing out on this one but I’ve heard many, many good things about Lioness. So if you’re not bogged down by work duties, please head on down and be my eyes and ears and remember to report back!

And if you’re still contemplating plans for this Halloween, may I suggest a lovely event called “24 Hours at the Centre of Gravity”? I have plans already, but this is definitely something I would go to if my plans fall through! Like the title suggests, it’s an all nighter featuring a fantastic line-up of local favourites including Spiral Beach, Tropics, The Miles, Big Digits, The Kettle Black, Run With The Kittens, The People Of Canada and Boxes & Bags. Exciting, no? Well let this awesome Facebook event convince you! The cherry on top, you may ask? Costume contest!!

For now, as you are pondering your costume choices for October 31st, I shall leave you to continue my search for more amazing music – oh, and my own Halloween costume. I’m thinking a Spice Girl, She-Ra or Princess Daisy from the Mario game series. I don’t know yet, we’ll just have to see!

Musically,
Melody

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