The Hottest Band in Canada, The Rural Alberta Advantage will be back in Toronto on November 20th for a show at Lee’s, with Bahamas and Fox Jaws and we want to give you a pair of tickets and a t-shirt! All you have to do is e-mail me (melodylau.620@gmail.com) with a name and address and we’ll pick a winner on November 16th!
The Rural Alberta Advantage, the band will be at Soundscapes on November 17th for a free in-store at 7PM!
Dan Mangan
I officially deem Friday October 16th, Friday in-store madness. All three record stores – that is Soundscapes, Criminal Records and Sonic Boom – are holding fantastic in-store performances that’s great for the ears but even better for the wallets (i.e. FREE!). Good news: you can make it to all three! Bad news: there is no bad news; how is free music ever bad? (Don’t answer that.) Here’s a run-down of what your schedule should, and WILL look like:
5:00PM – Two Hours Traffic @ Soundscapes
East-coast pop perfection; the boys of Two Hours Traffic will be playing tunes from their latest release, Territory in what is rumoured to be an rare intimate, acoustic set. They will also be at Lee’s, headlining a show later that night with opening acts The Danks and Spiral Beach (of whom I’ll get to in two seconds…)
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/twohourstraffic
6:00PM – Dan Mangan @ Criminal Records
XM Verge Award winner for Artist of the Year – and deservingly so! Indie-folk singer-songwriter Dan Mangan may not have been on the tip of everyone’s tongues a few months ago but with prize in toll, he has definitely become the one to watch. Catch his fantastic set at Criminal Records then head down the street and catch him and Will Currie and the Country French at the Rivoli, if you can!
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/danmangan
7:00PM – Spiral Beach @ Sonic Boom
Local pop-rock darlings Spiral Beach will be rocking the basement of Sonic Boom with tracks from their new album, The Only Real Thing. They’ll also be opening for Two Hours Traffic, as previously mentioned!
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/spiralbeach
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So you’re welcome. I took the pleasure of planning out three hours of your life for you. Transportation? Bus, bike or feet – all methods work! I’ll probably be testing out the feet method so if you see a tired Lamb on the streets, give her some water or food. She’ll also accept money donations if you don’t have water/food. See you around and happy listening!
Two Hours Traffic
How many times can you see Two Hours Traffic for free on October 16th? Correct answer: twice.
First off, the east-coast pop-rockers will be making a little stop at Soundscapes at 5PM for an intimate in-store performance. If you can’t make it to the band’s show at Lee’s later that night, I strongly suggest you go to Soundscapes then.
Second of all – you can win a pair of tickets from The Singing Lamb! Thanks to the kind folks at Against the Grain, we’ll be giving tickets away for next Friday’s show extravaganza also featuring Toronto’s very own Spiral Beach. All you have to do is email the Lamb (melodylau.620@gmail.com) with your name + phone number and a winner will be chosen on October 13th!
Good luck!
International Record Store Day!
Trick question: what is the best holiday ever?
If you answered “Christmas”, “Easter” or “my birthday”, you fail. Of course the only logical answer is International Record Store Day!
Taking place on Saturday, April 18th, Record Store Day can only mean two things – lots of free music and even more fantastic sales. And in in-store fashion, all shows are 100% all-ages and free – deal or what! It’s a recession, people – I say you jump at these opportunities. This year, stores such as Sonic Boom, Criminal Records, Soundscapes and Sunrise will be celebrating. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s going down and where you need to be!
Criminal Records (493 Queen Street West)
This year, the kind folks at Criminal Records will be offering “lots of sales, free stuff, and Record Day exclusives”. And of course at Criminal, it wouldn’t be a celebration without live music! At 6:00 pm, Chris Eaton of Rock Plaza Central (who will be releasing their new album on June 16th via their new label Paper Bag Records) will play a solo set. Afterwards, the fantastic Great Bloomers will take the stage at 7:00 pm.
Sonic Boom (512 Bloor Street West)
Most of the Singing Lamb staff partaking in Record Store Day will be stationed at Sonic Boom. Starting at 4:00 pm (going till 9:00 pm), it’ll be a jam-packed night of free music from some of the best bands in town, includingSlim Twig, Lullabye Arkestra, SunParlour Players, Gentleman Reg, Green Go, Hooded Fang, Steamboat, Little Girls and DJ sets from DJ Shit La Merde. Also offered at Sonic Boom will be giveaways and limited edition Record Store Day exclusives. If you decide to attend Sonic Boom’s festivities, it is recommended that you make a kind donation of a non-perishable food item though. That’s the least you can do for 8 kick-ass bands for free after all!
Sunrise Records (336 Yonge Street)
For the more hardcore music lovers, Sunrise will be your destination next week. Children of Bodom will be there for an autograph session on Thursday April 16th at 2:00 pm, as will Lamb of God at 5:00 pm. Yes, Sunrise is so excited about Record Store Day that they had to start the party early with Lamb of God. Also, expect performances on April 18th from Emma Lee, The Artist Life, One Second 2 Late, Honeymoon Suite, Thriving Ivory, Blackie Jackett Jr. (Finger Eleven side project), Josh Reichmann and KO. I especially recommend Emma Lee and Josh Reichmann. No set times are announced yet but festivities will start relatively early – around 1:00 pm or 2:00 pm. In addition, Sunrise promises “free giveaways, goodie bags filled with new formats, new releases, band swag and much more…”
Soundscapes (572 College Street)
Though no in-stores will take place at Soundscapes, the store will still be holding a sale! 10% will be taken off of all CDs, vinyl, DVDs and books! And with a selection like Soundscapes’, I would take advantage of this sale! Also a non-Record Store Day reminder: DD/MM/YYYY will be playing a free in-store on April 14th at 7:00 pm. Be there!
No information was found regarding Penguin Music (256A Queen St. W), but they are taking part in Record Store Day so if you have the time, pop in and check out their sales!
For more on Record Store Day, go here!
Happy listening and have a great Record Store Day!
Musically,
Melody
Woodhands
Here’s a quick run-through of news for today!
Need Valentine’s Day plans? Well go and check out a Junior Boys DJ set at The Social! Jeremy Greenspan will be previewing tracks from the band’s upcoming album, Begone Dull Care, out on March 24th. Doors will be at 10:00 pm! For more info, click here. The Boys will also be back on March 28th and 29th, so do not fear if you miss them this Saturday!
Want to stay in and just listen to some good Valentine’s tunes instead? Well Starbucks is offering the perfect compilation that features covers of various artists including Death Cab For Cutie (covering the Cure), She & Him (covering Screamin’ Jay Hawkins), Rogue Wave (covering Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Maps”) and as mentioned yesterday, A.C. Newman’s cover of A-Ha’s “Take On Me”! Click here to listen to the Department of Eagles’cover of Elvis Presley’s “Love Me”. For more information on the compilation, click here.
AIDS Wolf will be at Sneaky Dee’s on March 7th with U.S. Girls.
The Tranzac Club is introducing a new installment called the Last Thursday of the Month Residency, which is exactly what the title implies. The first show will take place on Thursday February 26th at 10:00 pm and will feature Lisa Bozikovic along with host, Meghan Hamilton. March 26th will feature Jimmy Rose and April 30th will have Eric Welton! Info here!
Alela Diane, who will be opening for Blitzen Trapper at the Horseshoe, will be at Soundscapes on February 21st, at 6:30 pm!
The National will be back in Toronto on May 21st at the Kool Haus, tickets will be $24.50!
Woodhands cover Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” (click here to download track) which is awesome, and they will also release a digital EP for their track “Dancer” on March 3rd. The Dancer EP will feature various remixes of the track, here’s the tracklisting:
Dancer EP:
1. “Dancer (Extended Mix)”
2. “Dancer (Bit Funk Remix)”
3. “Dancer (DJ Rexford Mix)”
4. “Dancer (feat. Reeseman Kackalak)”
5. “Dancer (Soundsmith Remix)”
6. “Dancer (CFCF Remix)”
7. “Dancer (Instrumental)”
Speaking of downloads, i (heart) music is offering up mp3′s from The Winter Gloves’ live CBC session back in October 2008. The session includes a superb acoustic version of “Let Me Drive”, so click here now to download!
Hooded Fang and Evening Hymns will open for Ohbijou at their CD release show at the Opera House on April 18th. This show just got significantly more exciting.
Also, yet another fantastical update on CMW schedules!
March 13th
Savannah Room – The Weather Station (9:00 pm), Sunshine State (10:00 pm), Ruth Minnikin and Her Bandwagon (11:00 pm), Blue Rabbit (12:00 am), Amelie Lefebvre (1:00 am)
Silver Dollar – People You Know (9:00 pm), The Darling DeMaes (10:00 pm), The Superstitions (11:00 pm), The D’urbervilles (1:00 am), The Ghost is Dancing (2:00 am)
Additional Notes:
- Amos the Transparent will be on at 1:00 am on March 13th at Rancho Relaxo
- The Week That Was will open for The Ting Tings (they will be on at 6:30 pm)
- Will Currie and the Country French will open for Sloan on both March 11th and 12th at the Mod Club, they’ll be on at 8:00 pm
- Hannah Georgas will be at the Library Bar (inside the Royal York Hotel) at 12:30 am on March 13th
- We Are The Take will be opening for Matt Mays & El Torpedo and The Waking Eyes at Lee’s Palace on March 12th; they will be on at 9:00 pm
- We Are Wolves will open for Bloc Party on night 1; they will be on at 9:00 pm
- Emma-Lee will open for The Trews at the Glenn Gould Studio on March 12th; she’ll be on at 8:00 pm
- Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees will be at the Drake Hotel on March 12th at 11:00 pm
- Hey Rosetta! and The Midway State have been added onto the list of performers at the Indies; they will be on at 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm, respectively
- Hell Yeah Fuck Yeah will be at the Black Betty on March 14th at 11:00 pm
Looking for something to do tonight? Go to the Whippersnapper Gallery and check out the Art for Chilled Hearts group show. It’s a great opportunity to see great art from emerging artists and also take a look at the venues “new pimped out look”! Oooh! More information here!
That’s all for now! Happy listening!
Musically,
Melody
