Nominations are in for CBC Radio 3's #1 Independent Record Store in Canada. Of the 47 stores repping St. John's to Victoria, Toronto holds a tidy seven spots. Best city odds of the competition. Drumroll: Penguin Music, Criminal Records, Monster Records, Slinky Music, Rotate This, Sonic Boom, and Soundscapes. Sounds about right. First round voting kicks off today and goes until next Wednesday, when the list is whittled to 20, and so forth for......

Photo of Julie Doiron courtesy of Jagjaguwar. Feminism means different things to different people—and for many people it means something negative. From the angry feminist stereotypes to news outlets simply ignoring it, feminism is an important movement that's gotten a bad rap. Ladyfest Toronto is aiming to change that by throwing a festival that proves feminism can be both fun and political. The festival kicks off next Thursday (the 27th) with a party at......

Hopefully, you've already polished your tiara and ordered your orchid. You've probably spent every night this week at the sewing machine, cannibalizing several discarded pink dresses to create your own cotton candy monstrosity. Or maybe you've been spending all your time coaxing that "ugly" girl from your homeroom out of her glasses and ponytail as part of a troublingly chauvinistic bet. That's right, the fifth annual Fake Prom takes place this Saturday night at......

This Saturday, July 28, the Toronto Roller Derby League, the largest flat-track derby league in North America, presents "Derby: Dead or Alive" at the George Bell Arena. For a measly $10 bucks advance ($15 at the door) you can bring the whole damn family to watch Smoke City Betties versus Death Track Dolls. See short skirted chickas smash the hell out of each other while shredding the arena on their quad wheeled roller skates.......

For those of you with Rock Star ambitions but who were cursed with about as much musical talent as a pile of dirt, you are in luck. It's time for the Canadian Air Guitar Championships, and you know you're going to want to check this out for yourself. If you've never heard of air guitar, then you have lived a sheltered life. Air guitar is the combination of rock and roll and mime, as......

Summer in Toronto means an abundance of excellent music and food. This Thursday evening, the Music Gallery will satisfy both with a party to celebrate the end of their 2006-7 season. Expect a tasty selection of edibles and listenables: the lineup includes Kanaka with Paradigm Brass Ensemble, Tim Hecker, Katherine Liberovskaya and Phill Niblock with guest Matt Rogalsky, and, of course, the prerequisite burger (vegetarian-friendly options will be available). The party takes place in......

Classic 60's-style, polka dot-wearin' girl group, The Pipettes, caused quite the commotion last time they came through town. They were definitely the buzz band of CMW, with tickets to their show at the Rivoli in high demand, particularly considering that not even media or pass holders were being granted access. The venue for that show may have been much too small, but lucky for us, someone got it right and the Brighton, UK ladies are......

They're beautiful women, no arguments there, but when push comes to shove, Toronto's Roller Derby girls get ugly. And we love every minute of it. If you've never been to a Roller Derby match, then you are missing out. Think of the game Red Rover, and put it on wheels. Bouts, as they are called, are made up of three 20-minute periods. Essentially, teams are made up of five members: a jammer, three blockers, and......

When people first hear the words "Professional Pillow Fight League," they often conjure images of jello-wrestling and hair pulling. However, if you've ever been to a Pillow Fight League event, you know that the fights are real, they're violent, and they're bloody entertaining. The Pillow Fight League, also known as the PFL, has been performing around Toronto since last year. They gained international attention in January when they fought for two nights in New York......

"Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby...Do ya, do ya, do ya do ya..." Anyone else get this song stuck in their head whenever they hear it? Curse those Kaiser Chiefs and their catchy lyrics! Perhaps seeing them live in concert could get it out of your system, yes? Well, courtesy of Sneak Attack Media, we can make that happen. The Leeds, UK boys will be in town tomorrow night at the Kool Haus, along with The......

There are quite a few bands in town tomorrow evening and we happen to have tickets to two of the shows, courtesy of Against The Grain. First up is St. Louis, Missouri's Son Volt. Jay Farrar and mates will be at the Mod Club for an early show, in support of their latest release, The Search, along with Jason Isbell, who recently decided to leave Drive-By Truckers. We have two pairs of tickets to throw......

After personally emailing us to confirm that they won't be detained and given a "special Canadian inspection" at the border, San Francisco's Birdmonster are happy to finally be allowed in our fair land, and will be headlining a show at The Horseshoe this Wednesday, March 28, in support of their latest album No Midnight. In an ironic twist, Mason Proper was set to be one of the opening acts, but will no longer be on......

The confirmed headliners were announced today for Toronto's second Virgin Festival, happening September 9 and 10, on Olympic Island. The top spots this year go to the (sort of) newly reformed Smashing Pumpkins, who will headline the festival on Day 2, and Iceland's most eccentric citizen, Bjork, who will close Day 1. Other bands announced include The Killers, Interpol, Jamie T., Paolo Nutini, Amy Winehouse, and we're happy to say, Toronto's own Tokyo Police Club!......

New York's Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips (both formerly of Luna) are hitting the Mod Club on Monday night, in support of their recently released second album, Back Numbers. Word on the street is that not only will they be performing Dean & Britta songs, but Luna and Galaxy 500 songs, as well. Want to hear it all up close and live? Courtesy of Against the Grain, we have two pairs of tickets to......

After five long years, indie rockers The Apples in Stereo are back with the release of their latest disc New Magnetic Wonder (Simian Records) on February 7. We've only had a chance to listen to a few songs so far, and they're very catchy 60's pop goodness. Furthermore, lead singer Robert Schneider created a whole new music scale, called the "Non-Pythagorean Scale," which is extensively explained as a bonus on the new disc. Luckily for......

Brooklynite singer-songwriters Kevin Devine and Jennifer O'Connor are stopping by Lee's Palace on Monday night (Jan. 29) for an evening of (mostly) acoustic indie goodness. Devine recently opened for Corinne Bailey Rae at the Mod Club, and is now taking on his first headlining tour to support his late 2006 release Put Your Ghost to Rest, with O'Connor opening. Want tickets? Courtsy of Against The Grain, we have three pairs of tickets for the show......

It's no wonder why Broken Social Scene are taking a "significant break" right now, aside from appearing at various festivals. It seems that all of the 1233 band members are busy working on their own projects at the moment, including lead guitarist Andrew Whiteman. On February 6th, Whiteman and bandmates are set to release Apostle of Hustle's sophomore album National Anthem of Nowhere on the Arts & Crafts label. To celebrate, the band will......

A day late this week, but when you see the crazy number of new shows recently announced, you’ll understand why. With so much variety, there should be something for everyone coming up in the next month or so. Due to the large number of show listings, there will be no links this week (hey, it takes a LONG time to link up this stuff, my friends). As always, if there’s something we’ve missed and......

It's a wonder that Torontoist can remember anything from the last couple of Fake Proms, seeing how they've been a booze-fueled blur of boogeying, checking out pretty boys and girls in formal wear and listening to the Fake Prom band blare out prom classics. But we were recently reminded that the event is upon us once again. Now some people might pooh pooh us and say proms are special because they really only happen......

Playing a bit of the rock & roll since the 5th grade is bound to get you somewhere. Now hitting somewhere in their late 20's and early 30's, the boys of the gritty guitar driven, Dylan-vocal-inflected tunes of The Walkmen are now waltzing their way through the United States and Canada in support of their newest release "A Hundred Miles Off". Touted as a "sonic carnival", their third album goes beyond "The Rat", and......

Better late than never to discover this must-see Queen West man parody. Set to a throwaway jingle by the Tangiers, Queen West guy drops by his hip Queen St. standbys the Drake, Rotate This! and Vice. The video was originally posted on Stillepost, but trickled down to us through A Soundtrack For Everyone.......

Kevin Drew, the braintrust behind Canada's premiere art-rock collective-typ band, is now trying his hand at travel writing. But instead of selling a blurb on Ft Lauderdale to Maclean's or something of that ilk, the easy-on-the-eyes singer went to Silver Spring, Maryland to sell articles about Toronto. For Harp Magazine, a U.S. music magazine, Drew wrote a quick-hits, some nonsense guide to Toronto. He highlights Rotate This, a bar that's been closed for some time,......

The message is clear this September: Canadian albums will once again act on behalf of freedom and decency, liberating the world from evil. Starting with the New Porn record and moving through past Broken Social Scene, Canadian music will be a model which for every country in the world will be based on. Promise made, promise kept! - The message is not so clear tonight at Sneaksies Deesies tonight, when the Parkas and DJ Kat......

Bar none, the most anticipated show of the coming week, at least to this Torontoist-er, is the return of eternally youthful Scotsmen Teenage Fanclub to Hogtown on Monday night for a show at the Mod Club. Anyone who was at their last show at the Opera House four years ago knows what a treat they were - you'll not hear more note-perfect harmonies anywhere, guaranteed. They're touring in support of Man-Made, their first album since......

1. Rotate This (620 Queen St W) As if! As if Torontoist readers didn't know that Rotate This is the best place to buy used cd's in the city. Anything that you can't find anywhere else will most likely be here, along with concert tickets and informed staff picks. Rotate This simply has all the makings of a great used record store, ie take all the attributes of your Sonic Booms and CD Replays......

Torontoist has always been a little concerned at the health of Toronto's indie rock community. The bulk of the crowd at indie rock shows seem to never get enough sun, fresh air and healthy exercise. Something to do with staying out till 4:00 AM, hanging outside with cigarette smokers and wrestling a Labatt 50 induced hangover the next morning. So when we heard of Track and Field, the weekend mini festival that takes place on......

With their third album, Portland's Decemberists continue on with their singular brand of highly literate, nautically-obsessed hybrid folk-rock. With their highbrow lyrics, unconventional arrangements and Colin Meloy's distinctive nasal vocals, the sound of a Decemberists record is unmistakable, but Picaresque differs from the first two full-lengths in that it carries itself with a greater confidence than its predecessors. This is a record that struts home in costume after drama club, jocks in the hallway be......

With their third proper album (not counting a b-sides comp), Manchester's Doves continue to prove themselves worthy of carrying on the tradition of great music originating from Northern England. Some Cities starts off on a surprisingly un-Dovesish note with the crunchy title track immediately followed by the Motown stomp of lead single, "Black And White Town". For a band that made their name with atmospheric and anthemic songs like "The Cedar Room" and "There Goes......

Phoenix will surprise you. This seemingly skipped over Parisian band are known to put on an amazing show and have the music to back it up. Phoenix are a synth-pop rock band that play a fairly eclectic range of music, but holding it all together are truly enjoyable well written songs. They are making their first Toronto appearance tonight at the Opera House and it hasn’t sold out yet. If you are looking for something......

Broken Social Scene to the rescue! Tickets went on sale TODAY at 10 a.m. for Toronto's favourite stars and sons taking on Toronto's favourite charity. Arts & Crafts recording scenesters Broken Social Scene will perform later this month in support of the Asia Earthquake and Tsunami relief efforts. The concert takes place Tuesday, January 25th, at Lee's. Tickets for the Band Aid type affair are $30, with every last bit of bling collected going to......