Gig Review: The Killers @ Air Canada Centre
The Killers were always a band that I kept in the back of my mind. I have a few of their records and I liked them just fine, but yesterday’s show at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, really turned that on it’s head. I’ve never come away from a show after having been exposed to a band for so long and felt such a difference of opinion. There was something alive and well in the room last night. The feeling was incredibly apparent, and it started from the moment The Killers walked on stage with the house lights still…
Album Review: Fitz and The Tantrums – More Than Just a Dream
Released: May 7, 2013 | Record Label: Warner Music Canada When Fitz and the Tantrums released their debut album Pickin’ Up the Pieces in 2010, they immediately garnered a strong cult following and critical praise, being labelled “a band to watch” by Rolling Stone, thanks to the success of “MoneyGraber” and “Don’t Gotta Work It Out,” which both became top 40 hits. Their mastery of Motown-esque melodies mixed with a pop style made Pickin’ Up the Pieces an album that refused to allow the listener to sit still. This became a sign of things to come because a Fitz and the Tantrums show can…
Gig Review: Paramore @ Sound Academy
On May 13th fans piled into a sold out Sound Academy in Toronto for Tennessee rockers, Paramore. The bands Toronto performance was part of their tour promoting their newly released self-titled album. The first band to take the stage was electronic rockers, Kitten. At this point the venue was already pretty full and fans were warming up to the bands upbeat tempo and charisma. Their singer Chloe Chaidez had fans moving along with her while she threw herself all over the stage. It was quite the spectacle. By the end of their set, most of the band jumped into the crowd,…
Gig Review: Bullet For My Valentine @ Sound Academy
On Tuesday May 7th, fans of all ages made their way down to the Sound Academy on what seemed like one of the nicest days in Toronto this year – all for a perfectly matched hard-rock line-up of; Stars In Stereo, Young Guns, Halestorm and the legendary Bullet For My Valentine. Kicking things off was Stars in Stereo, the female fronted band from Los Angeles, California was promoting their debut self-titled album that just came out (via Hundred Handed Records). Stars in Stereo had an amazing stage set-up, especially for an opening band and they definitely left the crowd wanting. Their…
Gig Review: The Lumineers @ Copps Coliseum
I have two sisters, and the three of us have completely different tastes in music. What do we listen to when we’re all together? The Lumineers. So as soon as we heard they were coming to town, we bought tickets immediately, as the last show we’ve been to together was Avril Lavigne. Originally set to play at Hamilton Place, the show quickly sold out and was moved to Copps Coliseum. That quickly sold out too. Entering the venue, the stage was set up with lumineers hanging from the ceiling. The opening act You Won’t was a two piece act from…
Gig Review: Jim James @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
On Wednesday April 24th, Jim James’ 2013 solo tour “Regions of Light and Sound of God” made its way to Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre. The night kicked off with Cold Specks intimately blowing away the early attendees. I’ve seen Cold Specks a few times now – last year at The Great Hall and a second time at the 2012 Polaris Music Prize gala. Every time I’ve seen Cold Specks hit the stage I’ve been blown away with her bone chilling vocals and this performance was no exception. There’s no question about it, Al Specks has everything you could ever ask…
Gig Review: El Ten Eleven @ The Garrison
A week and a bit ago, I submitted a contribution to BTW’s Found Sounds for Los Angeles, California duo El Ten Eleven, making no effort to hide my enthusiasm for their beautiful blend of quiet calm and explosive energy – nor for the fact that I would be seeing them replicate it live, witnessing the band in their element at their Toronto show the following Friday. It’s been a good, long while since I last saw a live show (probably not something a guy writing a music review should admit), the most recent one going all the way back to…
Album Review: The Flaming Lips – The Terror
Released: April 12, 2013 | Record Label: Warner Music Forever labelled experimental, psychedelic, other worldly, gimmicky, and just plain strange, The Flaming Lips have returned with their first proper LP in four years, and it is probably their weirdest one yet. Not because, the album pushes any boundaries (like their 24 hour song did), but because on The Terror this Oklahoma band is something they have seemed bound and determined never to be…conventional. The songs are cohesive; they make sense together, with hardly anything sounding out of place. This predictability in songs should not be seen as a negative because The Flaming Lips…
Album Review: Iron & Wine – Ghost on Ghost
Released: April 16, 2013 | Record Label: Nonesuch Records Ghost on Ghost proves that the new radio friendly style that Iron & Wine’s am Beam favored on Kiss Each Other Clean was not merely an experiment or a one off, but the direction he intends to take his music in the next coming years. While some of the fans who fell in love with his Nick Drake singer songwriter approach will continue to be frustrated by the new style, it is clear that Beam finds the fuller sound inspiring, which has led to a beautifully crafted album. The most exciting aspect of Ghost on…
Album Review: Phoenix – Bankrupt!
Release Date: April 23, 2013 | Record Label: Glassnote Records In the movie 500 Days of Summer, there was a scene in which Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character went to a party and there was a split screen with his expectations and his reality. As the scene went on the audience saw his expectation and his reality move further and further apart. After the success of Phoenix’s last album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the expectations for their next LP grew exponentially. However, much like the scene in 500 Days of Summer, the reality of Bankrupt! fails to live up to the expectations. This is not to…
Gig Review: I Mother Earth @ The Marquee
“We just love getting all hot and sweaty with you.” On Thursday, April 18th, fans made their way to The Marquee in Oshawa with lots of anticipation in seeing Toronto rockers, I Mother Earth. The show was hosted by 94.9 The Rock, who also had an exclusive VIP acoustic set and Q&A session before the show for some truly lucky fans. The Marquee’s club ambiance set a chilled out, intimate mood for the packed show. The first band to hit the stage was local act, The Organ Thieves. The four-piece band included Dave “Brownsound” Baksh on guitar (Brown Brigade and…
Gig Review: Týr @ The Opera House (Paganfest 2013)
On April 17th, 2013 I embarked on a grueling journey through the mystic city, fighting off Old English demons, white rock warlocks and weaving in and out of… cars on my 5 minute drive to The Opera House. Let’s start off by saying; this Wednesday night was going to be different… a Viking, Pagan, Nordic lore and mythology kind of different. Paganfest 2013 was amongst us and some seriously good times were already underway as I showed up to The Opera House for Metal Blade Records’ Týr – a folk metal band from the Faroe Islands (approximately halfway between Norway and…
