Torontoist » Mod Club

CBC Music’s First-Ever Festival Will Be a CanCon Love-In

Chris Dart — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:30:30 +0000

The CBCMusic.ca Festival will feature Sloan, Kathleen Edwards, Of Monsters and Men, and roving appearances by Jian Gomeshi and Matt Galloway.

According to CBC’s Chris Boyce, the goal of this weekend’s CBCMusic.ca Festival is twofold. First and foremost, the CBC wants to celebrate Canadian music. Second, it wants to celebrate CBC Music, the broadcaster’s online music service, which launched a little over a year ago.

The Barber of Seville is Not the Sharpest Shave

Carly Maga — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:30:32 +0000

A reworked version of Beaumarchais' play makes for an uneven production, on now at Soulpepper Theatre.

In 1996, Theatre Columbus premiered playwright Michael O’Brien’s “freely adapted” take on the famous Beaumarchais play The Barber of Seville, which was written in 1775. O’Brien’s version mixed in music from the 1816 opera of the same name by Gioachino Rossini, as well as original tunes by composer John Millard. The adaptation also propelled the story forward a couple centuries, with pop culture references galore. With Theatre Columbus co-founder Leah Cherniak at the helm, the musical ended the season with six Dora Award nominations (it won three) and plenty of critical acclaim.

Seventeen years later, Soulpepper Theatre is remounting this zany reimagination of The Barber of Seville, updated once again by O’Brien, Millard, and Cherniak. But, for some reason—the change in decade, or company, or sense of humour—whatever had made the original so magical, has faded, save for a few key performances.

The Great Canadian Girlesque Expo Brings Burlesque Legends to Town

Natalie Zina Walschots — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:45:28 +0000

A weekend of striptease will feature performances from some of the best in the business.

Image courtesy of The Great Canadian Burlesque.

The Great Canadian Girlesque Expo
Various locations
January 25–27
$20–$78

This coming weekend, Toronto will once again play host to the largest burlesque convention in Canada, The Great Canadian Girlesque Expo. An annual winter showcase now in its eighth year, it features legends of burlesque and active performers at the height of their power alongside local stars and emerging artists. Over three days, there will be more than 60 burlesque acts from across the country, as well as displays, vendors, and workshops.

The Girlesque Expo is put on by the Great Canadian Burlesque, an association of burlesque performers who also run the Canadian Burlesque Hall of Fame. Founded nearly a decade ago by Toronto-based mentalist, magician, and variety performer Mysterion, the Girlesque Expo is now setting the standard for grandeur in the Canadian burlesque scene.

During an interview, Mysterion immediately identifies the act he’s most excited to see this weekend: Tempest Storm. The pop-culture icon and burlesque legend will appear in Toronto for the first time in over 30 years. A contemporary of Bettie Page, Storm performed for well over 60 years, and her career has taken her as far as Hollywood. She retired in 1995, but still makes special appearances. Also coming: Tiffany Carter, another legend, who Mysterion says “has been performing since the 1960s and never retired.” Other performers will include Tanya Cheex, Jo Boobs Weldon, Burgundy Brixx, Coco Lectric, Fionna Flauntit, and Chaos Divine.

The appearances of legendary performers from the ’50s and ’60s alongside new and emerging performers is something that Mysterion is extremely proud of. Events like this, he says, “validate the Toronto burlesque scene.” He believes that Toronto’s burlesque performances “are at least on par, if not better than anything else out there.”

“[Toronto has] a nurturing scene,” he adds, “and is a city with a dance school on every corner, access to great cloth and crystals and costume makers. There are aerialists and circus schools. Toronto has so much that can allow people to become excellent performers.”

According to the Great Canadian Burlesque’s website, “Burlesque is not a synonym for stripping or exotic dancing. Burlesque is performance art that shines a spotlight on striptease that showcases skits, comedy, variety and seduction.” To this effect, Mysterion says part of the purpose of the expo is education, both for the performers and for the audience. The former have the opportunity to see their contemporaries at work. The latter get to see how far burlesque has come as an art form.

In addition to the performances, eight workshops will be offered over the course of the expo, on subjects ranging from costumes, to how to do a “glove peel.” There will even be a session with Tempest Storm on the psychology of burlesque.

Mysterion hopes audiences will come away with a new appreciation for their city’s steamy side. It’s important, he told us, to remember that “Toronto the Good” can also be naughty.

A Street Artist Returns To Fill Our Prescription

Kyle Bachan — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:00:46 +0000

Dr. Draw, a violinist, pulled out all the stops during his homecoming show.

Though he's backed by a full band, Dr. Draw really only needs his violin to bring down the house.

Dr. Draw’s Strange Parade
The Mod Club
(722 College Street)
Saturday, March 31, 9 p.m.
$10

Eugene “Dr.” Draw has certainly come a long way since his busking days on Toronto’s street corners. The 30-year-old, who is well known for his violin performances and his onstage dancing, has recently returned from a visit to South Asia. On Saturday night he staged a homecoming show at the Mod Club. Although Draw made his name with free concerts in Yonge-Dundas Square and annual gigs at the Beaches International Jazz Festival (where he is now a staple), he still managed to pack the house for this ticketed event, even though nobody really knew about the show until a few days prior.

Dr. Draw, whose colourful backing ensemble always seems to be evolving and experimenting with new types of instrumentation, is now travelling with a group called “The Strange Parade.” Their long-term goal, they say, is to raise enough money to travel to and perform for orphanages, schools, and hospitals—which is part of what Draw was doing in South Asia.

On Saturday night, it was hard to know what to expect from “Dr. Draw’s Strange Parade.” The promotional materials promised circus and performance acts along with the band’s set. It seemed possible that the show would flounder under the weight of its own ambitions. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Aerial performers floated above our heads while the band rocked the house.

Coming seemingly out of nowhere, two dancers in tight leotards made their way into the middle of the crowd. Before long, the audience realized that something was happening and drifted back to give the dancers some room on the floor, while they showed off their moves to the encircling spectators. And then, just as the act looked like it might turn gimmicky, things got kind of awesome.

Silk sheets dropped down from the ceiling, and the dancers grabbed them and started doing aerial tricks. Then a Japanese horn signaled Draw’s arrival. The curtains parted, and the audience members turned their heads back to the stage.

With the dancers now dangling above the spectators’ heads, Dr. Draw and company launched into old favourites, like “Alexandria,” and some more recent numbers, like the violin-guitar duet “Young Romance.”

While the band jammed out, Jessica Gorlicky (left) joined the chaos with some live painting.

Though the gig featured plenty of onstage antics—including live painting and a wild dancer wearing what looked like a gas mask—the highlight was, of course, the music. Dr. Draw’s violin was in full force. Draw was working so hard that it looked like his instrument might spontaneously combust at any moment (several strings on the bow had snapped by the end of the first set).

It was clear that the doctor was in. Throughout the set, the crowd continued to howl for more.

Photos by Kyle Bachan/Torontoist.

Toronto Aime Sebastien

Sarah Nicole Prickett — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:00:12 +0000

They’re casual fans, but only because they do everything casually: sip, exhale, shake hips, make unprintable kinds of eye contact. You can tell these girls learned about Sebastien Tellier by falling in love with the Lost in Translation soundtrack, and then remembered the French multi-instrumentalist when Daft Punk (or at least, half of Daft Punk: the one with the overly hyphenated name) got involved, producing the remarkable new full-length, Sexuality.
“It’s not as jammed in here as I thought it would be,” says the brunette. “I guess cause it’s a Monday.”
“On a long weekend,” adds the blonde.
“People are probably tired.”
“Or normal.”
“Normal,” it’s true, wouldn’t be anyone’s word of choice to describe the crowd at Sebastien Tellier’s A.D/D-presented show at the Mod Club. There were overweight relics of another club scene swaying right up next to barely legal boys squeezed into near-parodies of skinny jeans. Freshly shaved former jocks leered, in ways they hoped were vaguely Gallic, at pretty scene stars from Montreal.
When an American Appareled Tellier introduced songs en Francais, some of them booed, demanding their own tongue, and some yelled back, “Je t’aime.”
He tried English. And we’re not one hundred per cent sure, and we’d hate to be libelous, but we’d swear on our highest heels that Tellier told a glistening audience he was seriously substance-addled.
“Someone put this thing in my mouth, and I went ‘ahhhh!’ but… it was too late,” he confided, standing askew, wine glass tilted in one hand.
“So. I am high on LSD.”
At which point, Tellier proceeded to either trip, or rock, out. We’re still not sure. The songs from Sexuality tend to culminate in messy crescendos, like orgasms not quite aligning at an orgy. Not everyone gets off on it. Certainly, some shuffled their metallic kicks, shrugged, complained that it was too soft or weird or that there wasn’t enough of that Daft Punk synthesizer. But in the crowd huddled nearest the stage, there were ecstatic gasps followed by breathless spaces aplenty. Especially when Tellier sat down at the piano and plunged into the heartstoppingly gorgeous “La Ritournelle.” Nobody was complaining then. Nobody said anything at all, just listened, absorbing every measured or slurred syllable of a universal language.
Photo by Tobias Visualbass.

Concert for a Cause

David Topping — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:00:00 +0000

The final lineup for the benefit concert for the O’Keefe family has been announced. Organized by Andrew Copland—John O’Keefe’s close friend and the Duke of Gloucester’s head bartender—the concert aims both to honour John O’Keefe, who was killed walking home from the bar a month and a half ago, and to raise money for an education fund for John’s son, Iain.
This Sunday, March 2, the Mod Club will host a mix of Toronto scene stalwarts and newer acts, rockers and folkers: Elliot Brood, Stephen Stanley (of Lowest of the Low) and Carla MacNeil, Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson of The Skydiggers, The State of Things, and The Mahones.
It’s pay-what-you-can—all proceeds are going to Iain’s education fund––with doors opening at 7 p.m. (You can confirm your attendance on Facebook, naturally.) If you can’t come but still want to help, you can donate to the Iain O’Keefe-Kaufman Education Fund at any Scotiabank, using the account number 03012 00276 18.
Photo of the makeshift memorial for John O’Keefe outside the Brass Rail by Miles Storey.

Being for the Benefit of John and Iain O’Keefe

David Topping — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:30:00 +0000

It’s been a little over a month since John O’Keefe was killed outside the Brass Rail, walking to the subway from the Duke of Gloucester. While the makeshift memorial outside the Rail is gone now, the man it was for is far from forgotten––by friends, family, or city.
Many of the stories about O’Keefe have told of a dedicated, loving father; indeed, the reason why he left the Duke of Gloucester early––a friend wanted him to stay later––was to get home so that he could take his nine-year-old son Iain out skating the next morning. In an e-mail, Andrew Copland, O’Keefe’s good friend and the Duke’s head bartender, remembers O’Keefe as “a peaceful fun-loving man who loved life, his city, and music.” Fittingly, Copland and a number of O’Keefe’s friends and family are honoring the man by organizing a benefit concert to raise money for an education fund for his son. And you can help.
The Mod Club has offered itself up, free of charge to the organizers, to host the concert on Sunday, March 2. While several bands are already in line to play, Copland is looking for more––specifically, a big-name headliner (or two). The concert’s aim could not be more noble: to “raise some money for Iain and also allow people to get together to celebrate John’s life.”
If you are in a band, big or small, or know someone (or know someone who knows someone), please e-mail Sean Daly at sdaly2@sympatico.ca.
Photo of John and Iain O’Keefe courtesy of Sean Daly.

Little Millionaires Play Music

Sam Sutherland (Guest Contributor) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The last time Torontoist made mention of local punks The Little Millionaires, it was a few days after a rousing night of rocking and rolling at Sneaky Dee’s. This time out, however, it seemed like a good idea to give some advance warning of the band’s next Toronto show. So get your black t-shirts ready! This Thursday, February 7, the band will be opening for recent Juno nominees The Saint Alvia Cartel (another Torontoist favourite) at the Mod Club, along with Hamilton screamo-punks The Reason.
If you’re thinking of hitting up the show, make sure you arrive early (like, 5:00 doors early) to catch the Millionaires in action; likely to become one of this city’s proudest rock ‘n’ roll exports when they get around to releasing some proper music later in the year, for now, their powerful live show will have to satiate fans of Bronx-style punk rock.
Then, you know, there’s that indie band that got nominated for a Juno alongside bands like Sum 41, Finger Eleven, and Matthew Good. It’s probably going to be an awesome night. You should go.
Photo by Kyle Hutton.

The Rump Shaker: December 20–26

Andrew Chin — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:00:00 +0000

Photo from Deko-ze.
The holidays are normally a time for rest but nobody told that to Deko-ze. The man dubbed Canada’s hardest working DJ has a doozy of a week. On top of the Christmas Bash he is throwing at Footwork on Friday, Deko-ze will be spinning a six hour extended set at CZ on Sunday for Mass and is a part of CZ’s Christmas Come Get Your Fcukin Beats party. He’s also at The Guvernment on Saturday for The Gift 07.
Kardinal Offishall returns to Toronto for his 10th Annual Christmas Event. Although his career has been beset by label woes, Kardi is a consumate showman. He’ll be joined by legendary New York producer Pete Rock at the Mod Club on Sunday.
On a completely different note, Toronto’s pre-eminent doo-wop crew Goin’ Steady are throwing a Christmas party at the Gladstone Hotel on Saturday. The popular dance party will prominently feature music from the 1940s up to the 1960s. Hip cats and dollys: get your jazz hands ready.
Full listings below.

This Week

Thursday, December 20
Dirty Disco @ The Social with Vitamins for You, Dougie Boom, Egyptrixx, and Monkestra. $5.
Unwind Thursdays @ Jolly with Paranoid Jack, Bole & Ilija Katic, and NuEra. No cover.
Bud Light Presents Christmas @ CiRCA with Alonso Mendez, DJ Pipes, and DJ John J. $5-10.
Friday, December 21
Sweetback @ Stone’s Place with DJ CutHowYaLike and Josh Laing. $5.
Rehab: Deko-ze and Jenn’s Christmas Bash with Deko-ze (extended set), Sydney Blu, and Nick Forucci. $20.
Soho @ This is London with Robbie Rivera, Manzone and Strong, and Vinyl Junkies. $15 before 11, $20 after.
Randomland: A.D/D. 3 Year Birthday Bash @ CiRCA. Main Room: A-Trak, Junior Sanchez, Jokers of the Scene, A.D/D, and Barbi; Mirror Ballroom: Alex Gold, Kenny Glasgow, and Fabio Palermo; SKYY Cinema: Kid X and Rory Them Finest; Bathroom Bar: Vaneska and Thunderkids. $15.
Saturday, December 22
Goin’ Steady @ Gladstone Ballroom. $5.
Unsilent Night @ Footwork with Chris Liebing, Tony Rohr, Jamie Kidd, and Metalogic. $20 before 12, $25 after.
Drake Holiday House Party @ The Drake Hotel with resident DJs. $5 or free with a non-perishable food item or article of clothing.
Traffic Saturdays @ CiRCA with Doman and Pettigrew, DJ Addy and DJ Jedi. $20.
Nightmare Before Christmas @ CZ with The Roaches (Nathan Barato and Carlo Lio) 10 Hour Set.
The Gift 07 @ The Guvernment with Mark Oliver. Orange Room: Titsworth, Klever, and DJ Aristotle; The Drink: Ricky Stone and Manzone and Strong; Acid Lounge: George William; D’Luxe Lounge: 4 Korners; The Gallery: Deko-ze, Vinyl Junkies, and Joee Cons. $15 before 11, $20 after.
Sunday, December 23
Hip Hop Rules: Kardinal Offishall’s 10th Annual Christmas Event @ The Mod Club with Kardinal Offishall, Pete Rock, Cipha Sounds and more. $20 adv.
Techno 23rd @ Footwork with Jeff Milligan, Nitin, My Favorite Robot, and Baby Joel. No cover.
Mass @ CZ with Deko-ze (6 hour set).
Monday, December 24
Zima Project @ The Guvernment. Main Room: DJ Sputnik, DJ Vamos, DJ Bratan, DJ Ramo, and DJ Ortemy; VIP Lounge: Kotov and Andre Wilde, DJ Simon Sezz, and DJ Chris; Acid Lounge: DJ Clone, Sound Breakerz, DJ Enerjex, and DJ Star Gazer. $20 before 11.
Tuesday, December 25
Come Get Your Fcukin Beats @ CZ with Deko-ze, Manzone and Strong, The Roaches (Nathan Barato and Carlo Lio), Vinyl Junkies, Joee Cons, Julien Loreto, Jay Force, and Addil.
Wednesday, December 26
What’s In The Box? @ The Drake with Skratch Bastid, Ghislain Poirier, Vitamins For You, and My Dad vs Yours. $5.
Remix This @ Andy Poolhall with DJ Fase. No cover.
The 3rd Annual Old School Boxing Day Blow Out @ Footwork with Donald Glaude, John E, Jelo, Matt C, and Tim Patrick. $20 before 1 a.m.
Unity @ Sound Academy with Darude and more. $25.
Holy Ghost @ The Social with Automatt. $5 before 11.
I Love New York @ CiRCA. Main Room: Peter Rauhofer, Mark Falco; SKYY Cinema: Jackson Pollis, Cazwell, Barbi, and Oligarchy Kids; Bathroom Bar: Daniel Wilson, ViVi Diamond, Holy Rock, and Don’t Be Shy. $30.

Toronto’s Lost Soul & Reggae Stars Revisited

Kevin Plummer — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:00:14 +0000

Photos courtesy of Light in the Attic Records
The landscape of soul music, more than any other genre, has been littered with talented artists with unfulfilled careers spent in obscurity, grinding out appearances in dingy bars in the search for the elusive radio hit. Such was the fate of Jay Douglas, The Mighty Pope and many other pioneers of Toronto’s soul and reggae scene in the 1960s and 1970s. These artists—who are reuniting for a concert at the Mod Club Theatre (722 College Street) this Thursday—have been frequently and unjustifiably excluded from the established, but unimaginative, canon of important Canadian artists and albums. For these expatriate and immigrant artists, Jamaica lived on as a presence in their music. They fused Caribbean influences with soul and rhythm & blues. But the result did not fit the narrow confines of Canadian commercial radio, and the artists collected on Jamaica To Toronto: Soul, Funk & Reggae 1967-1974 and Summer Records Anthology 1974-1988 struggled to find an audience beyond the West Indian community. Luckily, the top forty charts are not the only indicators of lasting cultural importance.

Thirty years after the initial emergence of these artists, a Vancouver-based DJ, Kevin “Sipreano” Howes, stumbled across a couple albums from this potent underground scene. Not to be satisfied simply with discovering obscure breaks and beats for out-of-context sampling, his interest was piqued by artifacts of a vanished Canada, and he set out to uncover the back story. His insatiable curiosity drove him to spend two years playing detective to track down the original artists, most of whom had long ago shelved musical ambitions for real jobs, returned to Jamaica, or otherwise disappeared from the public spotlight. His efforts helped introduce them to a new generation through a handful of standing-room-only reunion concerts over the last year and a half, as well as a growing number of reissues of classic Canadian soul and reggae albums released by Seattle-based Light in the Attic Records. Such are the ironies of Canadian culture that it takes an American label to preserve this wealth of local musical heritage.
Jay Douglas’ experience was typical of these pioneering artists and demonstrative of the ways that North American music has been inextricably linked to postwar migration. After Canadian immigration laws were revised in the early 1960s, Douglas joined his mother in Toronto, where she was working as a domestic worker. “The transition was challenging,” Douglas recalls, but music helped with the adjustment to life in Canada. He’d brought a stack of Jamaican 45s with him, and was soon exposed to the rock-tinged rhythm and blues of Rick James and David Clayton-Thomas in the Toronto club scene. Later, West Indian immigration to Toronto reached critical mass, numbering 70,000 by 1971, and clubs opened on the Yonge Street strip to cater to this market.
Douglas moved from the audience to the stage when he was recruited by an old Montego Bay acquaintance to join The Cougars in 1966. Although ignored by commercial radio and precluded from large volumes of record sales due to lack of distribution, bands like the Cougars were in high demand on the bar circuit from Toronto and Wasaga Beach to Montreal. The Cougars even played the first Caribana Festival in 1967. In addition to being a cautionary tale of what a society chooses to remember or forget in culture and a time capsule of Canadian immigrant experience, the music itself stands the test of time.
The Cougars added the rhythm of a heartbeat to the Temptations’ “I Wish It Would Rain,” creating a subtle and sublime soul ballad punctuated by bursts of organ and horns. “When this music was made,” Jay Douglas says, “we just did it out of love for the music. We didn’t have any idea that we were creating music for the future.” Eerie and irresistible, the song epitomizes the way these Toronto musicians melded reggae and rocksteady rhythms with soul and funk to create a distinctive new sound, years before Johnny Nash topped the U.S. charts with his ska-influenced hits. They even drew upon rock influences, as the drumbeat on “I Wish It Would Rain” was ripped directly from The Band. Like Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Memphis or Muscle Shoals, Toronto developed its own distinctive, geographically-centered sound. Unfortunately, while mainstream audiences may have accepted the inoffensive calypso of world music pioneer Harry Belafonte, this music was considered too Caribbean by Canadian record buyers. Yet by the same token, song’s like Eddie Spencer’s scorching attack on Geno Washington’s Northern Soul classic, “If This Is Love (I’d Rather Be Lonely),” were too Canadian for many Jamaicans to adopt as the island’s own. Even labelling some Canadian releases “Made in Jamaica” did little to overcome the fickle audience’s demands for “authenticity.”
By the mid-seventies, the hard work of the pioneers began to pay off, and the sound shifted towards hardcore reggae. As documented on this year’s Summer Records Anthology, Jerry Brown, a Jamaican expatriate and mechanic, built a makeshift studio in the basement of his Malton home by fastening fiberglass insulation to the walls with cheap burlap. Though primitive by necessity, the studio became the creative hub for Toronto reggae music. The innovative production of Prince Jammy helped Toronto in the international consciousness of reggae, and artists traveled from the Caribbean to record there. The work of the studio’s dynamic house band, Earth, Roots & Water, is slated for reissue by Light in the Attic Records this winter.
Reissues and compilations in the Jamaica to Toronto series, as well as Thursday’s concert, provide an important bridge for celebrating out city’s rich musical past in the present day. In addition to Jay Douglas, the show will include appearances by The Mighty Pope and many others. The show will be opened by internationally renowned jazz group The Elizabeth Shepherd Trio, and will feature music by DJ Chocolate and Patrick Roots. Doors at 7 p.m.; show at 8 p.m.

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.

Musicologist: November 12–18

Alexandra Samur — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 02:30:06 +0000

Photo of Wintersleep by Emerging Design & Photography.
Musicologist is a tad behind this week, so it’s too late to list tonight’s shows. Luckily, there’s not much of anything happening music-wise tonight, except for Stevie Wonder at the ACC, and we suspect that if you didn’t have tickets before today, you’d be out of luck.
This week, our picks are Wintersleep at the Mod Club on Friday and the Horseshoe’s awesome lineup of ladies on Saturday—Masia One, Priya Thomas, Tara Slone and Melissa McClelland, all for only $6. Alternately for Friday, we also suggest Pavlo at Massey Hall. The Torontonian mixes Greek, Latin and Flamenco guitar styles, and he can play. He built a career from scratch, playing at trade shows and winning fans one by one. Now he owns 25 percent of R. Kelly’s hit “Fiesta,” after recognizing the song’s guitar riff as one of his own and successfully taking the singer to court.
Full listings after the jump.

This Week

Tuesday, November 13
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings @ the Phoenix, $16.50
John Butler Trio @ Kool Haus, $24.75
Menomena @ Mod Club, $12
Social Code @ El Mocambo, $15
Wednesday, November 14
Mos Def @ the Phoenix, $31.50
Robyn Hitchcock @ Mod Club, $15.50
Thursday, November 15
Plain White T’s and Cute Is What We Aim For @ The Guvernment, $21.50
Open Door Festival of Music featuring Luke Doucet, Cat Jahnke and more @ Mod Club, $20
Born Ruffians @ Hart House’s Arbor Room, free
Friday, November 16
Datarock @ CiRCA, $12
Attack In Black and Ladyhawk @ the Horseshoe, $12.50
Elliott Brood, Corb Lund and Plants and Animals @ Lee’s Palace, $15
Dropkick Murphys @ Kool Haus, $22.50
Gob @ El Mocambo, $16.50
Wintersleep and The Wooden Stars @ Mod Club, $15
Saturday, November 17
Pavlo @ Massey Hall, $39.50–59.50
Method Man @ Kool Haus, $32.75
The Pinker Tones @ El Mocambo, $10
Spiritualized @ the Phoenix, $26.50
The Old Soul, The Bicycles and Andre Ethier @ Lee’s Palace, $10
Masia One, Priya Thomas, Tara Slone and Melissa McClelland @ the Horseshoe, $6
Sunday, November 18
Motion City Soundtrack @ Kool Haus, $24.75
The Pipettes @ Lee’s Palace, $15

Recently Announced

December 2 – Dillinger Escape Plan @ Opera House, $16
December 5 – Los Campesinos! @ Mod Club, $12
December 20 – Handsome Furs @ Lee’s Palace, $12