Torontoist » “Brendan Canning”

KAMP: Horrors at the Hands of Humans

Carly Maga — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:30:28 +0000

Three puppet masters portray a day in the life of Auschwitz through a detailed miniature construction of the grounds and thousands of tiny handmade puppets.

When telling the story of the Holocaust, one effective way to overcome our sheer inability to comprehend the scope and scale of such atrocities is to zoom in on one or two stories: share one particular experience, in all its brutal specificity, and we have at least a small way into the event—the small details illuminate the larger whole.

One theatre company from the Netherlands, Hotel Modern, takes a related approach in KAMP (CAMP). The production depicts a typical day at the Auschwitz concentration camp, but instead of zooming in into a closeup, it shrinks everything down, literally, into miniature. It’s the accumulation of thousands of small details that has the impact in this case.

Ontario Bike Summit Aims to Change the Conversation on Cycling

Chris Dart — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:30:00 +0000

Bike Summit organizers say that drivers and cyclists are often the same people.

Eleanor McMahon thinks it’s time to change the conversation around cycling in Ontario.

McMahon is the founder of the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, who will be hosting the fifth annual Ontario Bike Summit this week in Toronto. She says that we need to stop talking about things like bike lanes and other bicycle infrastructure as a zero sum game between cars and bikes.

“We do polling, and our polling tells us that 89 per cent of Ontarians are both drivers and cyclists,” she says. “The notion that it’s cars versus bikes is overblown, and it’s really not working anymore. Deciding to change the conversation means going out of our way to poke holes in that idea and say from the get go ‘We don’t buy into that philosophy, and just because you say it, doesn’t make it true.’ ”

CMW 2012: Weekend Best Bets

Todd Aalgaard — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:00:39 +0000

Here are a few ways to make your weekend pop at Canadian Music Week.

Dan Magan plays the Haliax Pop Explosion in November 2011. Photo by Corbin Smith.

Screw fighting, Saturday night’s all right for music. Sunday, too.

Fanfarlo
Mod Club (22 College Street)
Saturday, 8:30 p.m.

This London, England-based quintet broke onto their home scene in 2006, but didn’t make the jump across the pond until their debut full-length album Reservoir dropped in late 2009. But they found a home with their blend of pop and folk, the adorable vocals of Amos Memon and Cathy Lucas, and a unique orchestration with an eclectic assortment of instruments. Since then, they haven’t stopped adding to their arsenal of musical tools. Their latest album Rooms Filled With Light, released last month, mixes in a heavy dose of ’80s electronica—which works much better than it sounds.

Go if: You don’t have enough musical saw in your life.

(Carly Maga)

Bravestation
Horseshoe Tavern (370 Queen Street West)
Saturday, 8:30 p.m.

Describing music to someone can be an undeniably tricky endeavor. It’s always important to proceed with caution when trying to reduce an artist’s sound to a complex formula employing mash-ups of genres and other bands—sometimes qualifying this amalgam even further by then placing it in a quirky location—like, say, space or the rainforest. So to say that Toronto’s Bravestation are like the long-lost stepbrother of The National who happen to have been raised by the Killers in a small African village, may not entirely do the group’s rich textures any justice.

Perhaps some music simply needs to be heard, and that’s what is happening more and more for Bravestation these days. Having confounded rock critics even further by earning Peter Gabriel comparisons with their new single, “Signs of the Civilized,” they are readying their debut full-length for release later this year. If it sounds anything like their previous output, it will be both surprising and likely to blow up the super-computer that creates these hybrid genres.

Go if: You want to take your own shot at classifying the unclassifiable.

(Kevin Scott)

Artist Select Series: Brendan Canning
The Garrison (1197 Dundas Street West)
Saturday, 9 p.m.

A new element in this year’s festival is a joint production between local music agency Young Lion’s Music Club, Spinner, Canadian Music Week, and Red Bull Music Academy: the Artist Select Series. Three Canadian artists were handed the Garrison and six to seven time slots, and got to program their own evening of CMW music. Shad was up first on Wednesday, followed by Jeremy Greenspan of Junior Boys on Friday, and Saturday ends with Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning, who will host and DJ in between sets. He’s got a doozy of a show, featuring top-notch TO talent like the Balconies, ALX, and Teenage Kicks, plus Montreal’s Uncle Bad Touch and Yardlets. Even a band from down under, Melbourne’s Husky. A guaranteed stellar evening.

Go if: You want a small peek at Brendan Canning’s iTunes library.

(Carly Maga)

Dan Mangan
Canadian Room (inside Royal York Hotel) (199 Queen Street West)
Saturday, 9:05 p.m.

As part of a solid line-up at the Indies that includes Passion Pit and Rich Aucoin, Dan Mangan somehow manages to remain a standout. The singer-songwriter has been on a steady ascent since he first picked up a guitar, and specializes in the kind of lush, intimate tunes that seem only a natural by-product of his Vancouver hometown. There is an earnestness and literate quality to his evocative lyrics that cuts to the core of a myriad of complex emotions.

His rise to prominence began with 2010’s Nice, Nice, Very Nice, which was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize and released in the United States and Europe on the Toronto-based Arts & Crafts label. He has branched out his spare arrangements on his newest effort, last year’s Oh, Fortune, and the result has been an unequivocal success. As evidence, he has been nominated for Junos this year in four categories including, inexplicably, Best New Artist.

Go if: You’re feeling a little melancholy and in need of a big musical hug.

(Kevin Scott)

Rich Aucoin
Fairmont Royal York (100 Front Street West)
Saturday, 10:25 p.m.

Rich Aucoin doesn’t do anything halfway. His breakout EP, 2011′s We’re All Dying to Live, is a towering, anthemic achievement that, by recording standards alone, is already day-makingly good as it is. Now imagine that it was written as the soundtrack to a film Aucoin himself edited, spliced together from dozens of others, and that the whole idea took root during a cross-Canada cycling expedition for cancer research a few years back. Oh, and that there’s something like 500 unique contributors on the record in total. No big deal.

We first saw him in his element last summer, at a bar in Halifax called Gus’s. Months later, in January, it was the Drake. No matter where it happens, a Rich Aucoin show is its own universe with its own natural laws, where energy is utterly limitless and confetti cannons are bottomless. There aren’t enough glowing adjectives for what this electro-pop phenom is doing for Canadian music.

Go if: You ever played with a parachute in gym class and totally want to again.

(Todd Aalgaard)

Grahmzilla
Wrongbar (1279 Queen Street West)
Saturday, 1 a.m.

Saturday’s a fine night for dancing, and Toronto favourite Grahmzilla is expert in ensuring that sort of thing goes down. Known for being the music end of ill-fated local duo Thunderheist, and more recently for some sweet slow-jam mix-tapes, he can throw down electro, hip-hop, breaks, and more as if it wasn’t any kind of thing. He also does live PA and DJ performances as Nautiluss, a deep techno project signed to Montreal’s Turbo Records. So… he’s pretty sweet, I guess.

Go if: You’re fixin’ for a throw-down.

(Saira Peesker)

Band Oberhofer
Phoenix Concert Theatre (410 Sherbourne Street)
Sunday, 8:15 p.m.

It’s a good thing we don’t go to concerts to read, because with songs like “o0Oo0O0o” and “Away Frm U,” a track list can look more like your 13-year-old sister’s text history. They’d probably be about the same thing too, since Oberhofer’s forthcoming LP Time Capsules II (March 27) revolves around frontman Brad Oberhofer’s broken heart as he moved from Tacoma to NYU and lost the girl. The lyrics are like a page from his diary, but the music is strong and Oberhofer’s voice is bold. With the band on the brink of blowing up, we’re sure Oberhofer will break his fair share of hearts along the way too.

Go if: You’ve never cried and danced at the same time before.

(Carly Maga)

Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Cheval (606 King Street West)
Sunday, 10 p.m.-ish

Known best as the producer and DJ for hip-hop pioneers A Tribe Called Quest, Ali Shaheed Muhammad has had a rocky career since the group broke up in 1998. For a while afterwards, he joined members of En Vogue and Tony! Toni! Toné! to form Lucy Pearl, which only put out one album. In 2004 he released a solo album which, while not being a smash hit or even close, showed that he’s actually not a bad MC. But for his CMW show, he’s going back to his roots—manning the decks at Cheval at an as-yet-undisclosed time. Unlike those cheesy MCs who get lazy and go on DJ tours, Ali Shaheed Muhammad is the real deal, so expect a quality DJ set, creative mixing, and some seriously sweet jams.

Go if: You are a serious nostalgic for back in the days and/or want a reason to go inside a King Street West nightclub.

(Saira Peesker)

Tupper Ware Remix Party
Bovine Sex Club (542 Queen St. W.)
Sunday, 11 p.m.

The men of Tupper Ware Remix Party are superheroes. Or maybe they’re aliens. Or are they alien superheroes? Okay, so it’s hard to tell exactly what they are, but what they do is a little more transparent: incite dance parties and get bodies gyrating. Dressed in outlandish costumes befitting their nature, they create what could be the soundtrack to a lost ‘80s video game or cartoon. With pulsating drums, crunchy guitars, and dramatic synth lines, the band earns high scores without any need for vocals.

Ostensibly from a distant planet from which they have taken their name (but more than likely calling Halifax their home), the relative newcomers to Earth have self-released albums like 2007’s Sex Is A Machine That Likes To Dance and 2010’s Poised To Dominate. They possess a refreshing, tongue-in-cheek sense of humour in an industry saturated with artists that take themselves far too seriously, and would make an excellent choice for those looking to close out their fest with a bang.

Go if: You want to dance, stupid! Or, if you just want to see a man wearing an oversized parking cone on his head.

(Kevin Scott)

Urban Planner: June 24, 2011

Steve Fisher — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Urban Planner is Torontoist‘s guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to events@torontoist.com.

The Elwins play the islands tonight (Ward’s Island, to be precise). Photo by Jason Abrishami.

In today’s Urban Planner: if you thought you couldn’t spend all night at music gigs around town just because NXNE is done, you’d be wrong, friend! Today’s on-the-town music playlist includes ’70s funk, Aretha Franklin, Coeur De Pirate, The Elwins, Matt Barber, ’80s post-punk, Brendan Canning, and Cherry Bomb!

ART/FUNK: The night starts with the opening of a new exhibit, I WORRY. Over 80 on-the-street interviews asking Torontonians what stresses them out have been compiled and incorporated into this multimedia exhibit. Later in the night, though, the gallery will start to groove to “’70s Afro-Brazilian Funk,” courtesy of DJ Jesse Levine. Labspace Studio (2A Pape Avenue), reception at 7 p.m., funk at 10:30 p.m., FREE.
POP: Of the bands we profiled for NXNE, both Bent By Elephants and Doctor Ew named The Elwins as a “breakout act.” They headline a show on the islands tonight with the Weather Station and Ivy Mairi. St. Andrew’s By The Lake Church, Ward’s Island (Cibola Avenue), 7:30 p.m.–11 p.m., PWYC.
FOLK: Singer-songwriters Matthew Barber and Oh Susanna bring their He Said, She Said tour to their hometown tonight. Barber has noted he lives just a couple of minutes from the venue, so playing the Great Hall is as close to playing his living room (with a few hundred friends) as he can get. The Great Hall (1087 Queen Street West), 8 p.m., $18.50.
SOUL: The Toronto Jazz Festival opens tonight, with blues, soul, and gospel legend Aretha Franklin headlining a free concert in the downtown core—R-E-S-P-E-C-T. David Pecaut Square (225 King Street West), 8:30 p.m., FREE.
FRANCOPHONE: Harbourfront Centre also hosts the opening of a festival tonight, Franco-Fête, and like the island show, the main stage is right by the water; Montreal’s Coeur De Pirate headlines, en Français. Harbourfront Centre, WestJet Stage (235 Queens Quay West), 9:30 p.m., FREE.
POST-PUNK: After the waterfront shows or downtown concerts, if the night is still young for you and your pals, you could head to PITY*PARTY, co-hosted by Torontoist‘s own John Semley, where you can get down to all the bands that made the ’80s cool—like one band we featured last week, DEVO. The Central (603 Markham Street), 10:30 p.m., $5.
DANCE: Or you could dance the night away at the Gay-Straight Alliance Dance Party. Inspired by the Catholic School Board’s refusal to recognize queer rights groups, this banging Pride lead-up shindig will feature DJ sets by Broken Social Scene-ster Brendan Canning, Cherry Bomb‘s Cozmic Cat, and more. Gladstone Hotel Ballroom (1214 Queen Street West), $5 before 11pm, $10 after.

Brendan Canning on Mending a Broken Social Scene

Brian Towie — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:15:00 +0000

Illustration by Roxanne Ignatius/Torontoist.

After five years of touring, solo work, side projects, frayed nerves, jilted hearts, and bruised egos, the players and personalities of Broken Social Scene, Toronto’s most notorious indie rock collective, have united for the much-anticipated Forgiveness Rock Record, their first since 2005′s self-titled effort. (As we mentioned in Weekend Planner, the gang was together again, at least in its latest incarnation, over the course of May 9 at Criminal Records, Rotate This!, Soundscapes, and Sonic Boom. Next, they’re due to embark on a world tour and return to Toronto Island Park on June 19.)
Why so long between albums? Five years passes quickly when you’re busy, says BSS co-founder and guitarist Brendan Canning.

“Between the solo record that [fellow BSS co-founder and frontman] Kevin [Drew] and I made, the Do Make Say Think records, you got 2006 to 2008 where we all toured extensively, a film project”—Bruce McDonald’s This Movie Is Broken, which was filmed during the garbage strike and premiered at SXSW in Texas—”and then taking a year to make this record, and there you go, you got five years,” says Canning. “We’re not sitting around and getting old. Well actually, yeah, we’re getting old, but we’re working.”
You might guess that a little bit of the gap could also be due to some in-house drama that fractured the collective for some time, though such dirty laundry isn’t something the Scenesters readily volunteer themselves: they tend to leave that to the media. Let’s oblige them, then. During a taping of At The Concert Hall in Toronto (set to air August 3 on Bravo!), Drew was quoted as saying that Forgiveness Rock Record would be the last in the BSS canon, which Canning later denied. Guitarist Andrew Whiteman coyly told the Toronto Sun that the quotation was meant to gain attention.
Evidently, another one among a number of reasons for the backstage tempest was the 2007 Kevin Drew solo project, Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew Spirit If…. Stars like Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis and rocker Tom Cochrane lending a hand alongside BSS alums such as Leslie Feist, Metric’s Emily Haines, and album co-producers Charles Spearin and Ohad Benchetrit—all this for a solo effort—led to scornful media accusations that Drew was taking advantage of the good name and work of his fellow Scenesters for his own personal prestige and gain.
While not naming names, Drew confirmed shortly after Spirit If…‘s release that noses were consequently put out of joint, and radio silence between some band members existed for a time.
For his part, Brendan Canning released his solo effort, Something For All Of Us, under the “Broken Social Scene Presents” banner the next year, to less fanfare, though one might suspect that Canning’s title was intended as a barely veiled message to his longtime friend and bandmate.
Water under the bridge now, says Canning, adding that no amount of drama justifies stifling the band’s potential, and the brouhaha added to the quality of sound.
“You say to yourself sometimes, ‘This is such a goddamn hassle; is it worth it?’ But yeah, of course it’s worth it. You’ve got something special going on,” says Canning. “I wouldn’t say that was the exact timing of it, but you’re in business together, you’re in a family together, you’re trying to create art together. You’re trying to withstand whatever pressures are being put on you. I mean, bands are bands. Shit’s gonna get fucked up, there’s no two ways about it. Whatever band I’ve been in, shit gets fucked up. I can’t think of any other band out there where shit hasn’t got fucked up. If you can name me one where things have gone smoothly the whole way through, I’d love to hear their story. If you and your pals or whoever you are all want to get along great and make some really fucking boring music, then great. But you need the push and pull, that’s what makes bands exciting. You can hear it.”
And you can. Forgiveness Rock Record is a deserved hit with critics and record stores alike, with its mix of driving, twangy rhythms (surprisingly unpretentious and rollicking, given the collective’s cache) and ambient post-rock chamber-pop. There’s a more streamlined sound with a different approach this time around: Drew, Canning, and the current recording lineup of Justin Peroff, Andrew Whiteman, Charles Spearin, and Sam Goldberg abandoned the ol’ homestead of Toronto and headed to Chicago’s Soma Studios to record under the watchful eye of producer and Tortoise drummer John McEntire, and then returned to Toronto’s Giant Studio and The Schvitz Studio to put on the finishing touches. (As ever, no BSS or BSS-related project would be complete without its guest stars, a lengthy list that includes Feist, Haines, and Stars’ Amy Millan.)
“It felt right,” says Canning. “We built this together, not to start quoting Starship. But essentially we’re all still pals. We all still play gigs together, and the whole Broken Social Scene thing is built on a lot of people. So it was good not just to have them, but a lot of new Chicago folks.”
So, old friends reconciled, new friends made. Broken Social Scene has expanded from Toronto’s confines, says Canning, and there’s nothing for them now but to look forward.
“It’s an exciting time for us,” he said. “You don’t want to spend all your time taking stock of things, but if you ever have that moment to reflect, you think not only did you achieve it, but your friends achieved it, too. You’ve all been on this journey together, and not too many people got left behind.”

Musicologist: December 4–9

Anni Spadafora — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:00:00 +0000

If you are saddened by your procrastination that cost you Richard Hawley and Jose Gonzalez tickets this week, you can direct your attention to the eclectic choice of shows as a mild substitute. It does, however, appear as if local label Arts and Crafts have successfully cornered the market on this week’s moderately sized shows (read: tickets that cost no more than $35).
Tuesday you can catch Jason Collett with a surprise guest at the Dakota Tavern for what is guaranteed to be an intimate show. The night’s warmth will recall the days when Collett hosted Radio Mondays which traveled through the Rivoli, the Supermarket, and the Rancho Relaxo. The residency involved a handful of musicians all sitting casually on stage, each playing acoustic versions of their songs and talking about their song writing process.
Britain’s Los Campesinos! play the Mod Club Wednesday evening with Sweet Thing and Germans. Los Campesinos! recently joined the ranks of non-Canadian Arts & Crafts bands, already including Phoenix, The American Analog Set, and New Buffalo. Their infectious melodic pop anthems will definitely ignite an obnoxious dance floor Wednesday evening (which can also be said of Toronto’s own Sweet Thing). But don’t show up too late—openers Germans are one of the most exciting local bands in the city, with their “we don’t give a shit” stage presence, and brilliant musicianship which shines through their Pavement-inspired, post-punk goodness. Musicologist recommends this one!
Lastly, Saturday will deliver Broken Social Scene plays Kevin Drew at the Kool Haus. For all those going through Broken Social Scene show withdrawal, this will definitely hold you over for the next while. Spirit If, Drew’s recent release, is the first of what may be an ever-growing series of Broken Social Scene presents albums, the next installation being Brendan Canning in early 2008. With a night of great sounds and what may be a reunion of sorts for musicians and fans alike, it can only be hoped that this exciting show can overcome its sterile venue.
See complete listings after the fold.

This Week

Tuesday, December 4
Paul Anka @ Massey Hall, $82.50-$135.50
Jason Collett and special guests @ Dakota Tavern, $15
Wednesday, December 5
Richard Hawley and Ferraby Lionheart @ Horseshoe, SOLD OUT
Les Campesinos!, Sweet Thing and Germans @ Mod Club, $12
Lights and We Are The Take @ Supermarket, $5
Thursday, December 6
Amon Amarth @ Opera House, $25.75
Big D and The Kids Table @ Kathedral, $12 Blood Ceremony @ Boat, $5
Friday, December 7
Jose Gonzalez @ Mod Club, SOLD OUT
Waco Brothers @ Horseshoe, $10.50
Great Bloomers @ Tiger Bar, $5
Lucky Fool, Two Minute Miracles and Proof of Ghosts @ Silver Dollar, $7
Saturday, December 8
Broken Social Scene Plays Kevin Drew @ Kool Haus, $27.75
Justin Rutledge @ Horseshoe, $15
Krief and Kill the Lights @ Rivoli, $10.60
Macabre @ Fun Haus, $12.50
We Are Wolves @ Lee’s Palace, $10.60
ALL CAPS + No Shame Craft Show feat. Youngest, Big Digits and Kaeru @ Whipper Snapper Gallery, PWYC before 6pm/$7 after 6pm
Sunday, December 9
Northamorica, The Parkdale Revolutionary Orchestra and Bill Bissett @ Sneaky Dees, PWYC

Recently Announced

December 12 – Fiery Furnaces @ Lee’s Palace, $19.50
December 28 – Thunderheist @ Drake Hotel, $TBA
December 31 – Sadies @ Horseshoe, $20
December 31 – By Divine Right @ Tranzac, $10
Photo of Kevin Drew from Kevin Drew’s MySpace.

BSS On Letterman Tonight

Ron Nurwisah, Boy Reporter — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 02:12:48 +0000

The Canadian Content of the Late Show with David Letterman will increase by several hundred percent as our own uber-group Broken Social Scene hits CBS tonight. We wonder whether Paul Shaffer will join Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, et al.
BSS will be joined by new Lois Lane Kate Bosworth and hopefully be upstaged by a bunch of middle-aged New Englanders who do crazy things with Mentos and Diet Coke.
Letterman airs at 11:30 ET.

More Musical Matchups Please

Ron Nurwisah, Boy Reporter — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 21:07:57 +0000

Torontoist enjoyed Stuart Berman’s interview in this week’s eye, pitting Max McCabe-Lokos (the Deadly Snakes) and Bry Webb (the Constantines).We’re not taking sides in this little “tiff” but we’ll gladly go and watch either band this weekend at the Horseshoe. But enough of the friendliness of Canada’s indie scene, we think that underneath all this collegiality and ‘pat-on-the back’ we’re all in this together joviality there’s some real rage.
1) Sarah Slean vs. Sarah Harmer
Sarah McLachlan is in virtual retirement so the title of this country’s most important musical Sarah is up for grabs. Sadly Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara is disqualified for not having an ‘H.’
2) Sloan vs. Blue Rodeo vs. the Rheostatics
Ah three stalwart Canadian bands. But every year members of these three bands take the ice for Exclaim!’s hockey tournament so there’s got to be some competive spirit there. Rheostatic Dave Bidini might’ve had the most international experience, but no word on whether he’s actually a good hockey player and can take a check.
3) The Arcade Fire vs. Broken Social Scene vs. The New Pornographers vs. The Hidden Cameras
Remember the Royal Rumble, that silly WWF event that had 30 wrestlers duking it out until one is left standing. Well, this would be our equivalent. New Pornographer AC Newman and BSS’s Brendan Canning squelched rumours that there was a rivalry between the two bands but really who knows? Win Butler, at six-foot-five would tower over pretty much everyone in the ring but don’t count out the steely Neko Case and the Hidden Cameras have such a huge rotating membership that there’s no reason why they couldn’t recruit a ringer.
Photo borrowed from eye

It’s Been a Long Time Coming

Rachel — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 18:31:44 +0000

You’ve heard it here before. You’ve read it in the New York Times and Spin magazine and countless other publications. Montreal is where it’s at and the Arcade Fire is THE Canadian band. Why even bother to offer an adjective, there’s just too many too choose from. The critically-and-David Bowie-acclaimed Arcade Fire is “Canada’s most intriguing rock band,” as declared by this week’s Time Magazine’s Canadian Edition, on newsstands now.
Laura Blue and Hugh Porter offer a peek into the story of how this virtually unknown group became the hottest indie band in North America. These Montreal musicians are led by husband-and-wife songwriting duo Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, and Tim Kingsbury, Richard Parry, Sarah Neufeld and Win’s brother Will.
Their unofficial first record was a self-titled EP released in 2002, but their official debut – the celebrated Funeral – was released in the fall of 2004 on Merge Records, and ended the year on a number of top ten lists including the New Yorker, Pitchfork Media, Rolling Stone, Eye Weekly, Filter Magazine, and ahem, Torontoist, to name but a few.
If you’ve been lucky enough to see them live, then you’ll agree with Exclaim magazine when they say that the Arcade Fire have honed a shock-and-awe tactic in their live show that has sent scenesters scrambling for superlatives. The good news is that the Arcade Fire are playing three upcoming shows in Toronto at the Danforth Music Hall, on April 26, 27 and 28. The bad news is that it is long sold out. Tickets went on sale about a month ago and in some cases, sold out within hours. So unless you were one of the lucky ones, chances are you are going to miss out on an amazing show, unless you know a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend…
The latest edition of Time Canada also includes an article on Canada’s music scene, highlighting a few notable acts including Metric, Stars (also featured this month’s Toronto Fashion, by Raising the Fawn’s John Crossingham), Death From Above 1979, the Organ, and the Dears. But wait, it doesn’t stop there, if you buy now we’ll throw in The Insider’s Guide to Indie Rock, written by Toronto’s very own indie rock darling Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene fame.