Results tagged “joelgibb”

If you haven't bothered to familiarize yourself with the overly precocious sounds of Toronto's revered Hidden Cameras, their fifth (already?) full-length might be a good place to start. Out next Tuesday on what seems like a long-lost perfect home for the Cameras' strange and wonderful indie-rock orchestra, Arts&Crafts, Origin:Orphan has tons of fan-ready appeal but burns slower than past releases, revealing a start-to-finish long-play that might appeal to a fresh crop of attention spans.

Believe it or not, music videos still exist. Sound Tracks trolls the internet to find the best and the worst of local artists' new singles and the good, bad, or otherwise noteworthy visuals that accompany them.

PETA's picked up another Canadian to speak out for furry friends. And thankfully, this Canuck hasn't risen to fame by way of an overinflated pair of tits.

Last year for the encore at their AIDS benefit concert at Hart House, the Hidden Cameras played a mean cover of "Umbrella." You know which "Umbrella" we're talking about—that amazing ubiquitous pop song, oft-covered but never really matched or trumped. Not until Joel Gibb and his dozen or so band members took it on in Hart House, at least: Gibb's pronounced croon somehow fit the song even better than Rihanna's resigned "ey"s, and the huge band—killer drum line and all—only added to it. People at the concert flipped out, as well they should have.

Kincardine-born, Mississauga-bred, Toronto-based, and Berlin-bound, Joel Gibb is the musical and managerial head of The Hidden Cameras, the fantastic and always well-populated music collective whose members have included Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy), Reg Vermue (Gentlemen Reg), Laura Barrett, Maggie MacDonald (Republic of Safety), Dave Meslin (founder of the Toronto Public Space Committee), Bob Wiseman, Steve Kado (founder of Blocks Recording Club, member of Barcelona Pavilion and Ninja High School), Ohad Benchetrit (Do Make Say Think), Don Kerr (The Rheostatics), and many, many others.

Joel Gibb of the Hidden Cameras (top) and Torquil Campbell of Stars (bottom). Photos by David Topping.

For a band with an entire album named for Mississauga, The Hidden Cameras and Toronto sure haven't seen much of each other of late. Friday night at the Phoenix was the band's first full-length show within the GTA's walls in almost a year, the too-long hiatus forced by (pictured) lead man Joel Gibb's Berlin exile; as he goeth, so goeth the band.

Who Is DJ Cyber-Rap?

Photo of the Hidden Cameras' frontman, Joel Gibb, from The Music Gallery, April 2, 2006.

Starting next Tuesday and running for five nights, The Hidden Cameras will be putting on a special series of shows in conjunction with the Toronto Dance Theatre at Harbourfront, entitled "In The Boneyard". Head Camera Joel Gibb gave Pitchfork a sneak preview of what to expect from the performances, which will begin with the Cameras providing musical accompaniment for the dancers but trading places as the show progresses.

Maggie MacDonald is a busy woman. As one of the most visible members of the Hidden Cameras, MacDonald is often seen on Toronto's stages bopping along to Joel Gibb's catchy anthems to enemas, fear of commitment and golden showers. MacDonald also plays in a number of other bands in the city including the Dating Service and Republic of Safety. So it's not like she needs another project on her plate.

"So I said to myself, 'If they can do it with a photograph, why can't I do it with a bar of chocolate?'" - Willy Wonka

Can I call you Jens? Thank you for playing one of the best Wavelength shows I've ever seen. You and your ukelele charmed us all. Soldiering on despite a high fever, that's dedication and we hope that you feel appreciated. You mentioned that you wanted to stay in Toronto, well we'd love to have you. We seem to lose musicians to bigger glitzier places like New York, and Paris and Berlin. Think of it as a musical brain drain, maybe not as critical as doctors, nurses and engineers leaving but still important.

A brief overview of Toronto music happenings finds some exciting and some not-so-exciting news. Aw yeah.