Toronto Music

by Becca Lemire
She bopped and sang and danced like someone in her prime– Cyndi brought the house (trees?) down although she didn’t actually sing “She-Bop”. read more...

by Kait Fowlie 
Photos by Becca Lemire 

Not even the garbage trucks and their reeking street residue could stop us during NXNE. The moon was shining high in the sky and we were drinking pre mixed mojitos as we set off into the night of sweet melodious music. Our bikes were our chariots and triumphantly, we paved the way, throwing elbows when necessary, to a few memorable shows across the city. We didn't get so distracted by cute fanboys and glistening drinks that we forgot to write stuff down though, and take pictures. Here they are! read more...

Ohhoooowhoooaooowhoooaoooohaaaaa. What I remember most from the last MMVA's? Screaming. Loud, deafening, high-decibel shrieks of elated joy. And this year, I'm betting it's going to be even louder. Why, you ask? The Canadian super-duo of home-grown pop culture crack that is...DREIBER!

That's right, Drake and Bieber. Hip hop and crooning, Degrassi chops and Stratford mops...of fetching boy-bangs. Drizzy and Beebs will come together with Miley Cyrus, whose husky-voiced muppet face will whip the MMVA crowd into a frenzy in her capacity as hostess with the mostess. read more...

by Kait Fowlie
650 bands in 7 days might seem totally overwhelming, but we’ve put together a list of our top 10 picks for you to check out during the whirlwind week of NXNE. Here the bands we are super jazzed for:

1. IGGY AND THE STOOGES Yonge and Dundas Square, Sat June 19th 9:30 pm.
The iconic Iggy Pop single handedly created punk rock back in the 70’s, according to some. 30 some odd years later, he’s still in business and coming to Yonge and Dundas square to show Toronto what he’s made of. One of the most dynamic performers ever, he has been known to loose his drawers, smear himself with peanut butter, and rock makeup to rival Lady Gaga - not to mention belt some legendary punk rock hymns. read more...

by Kait Fowlie
We interviewed a few of the righteous females responsible for organizing NXNE, and they've been working with their noses to the grindstone to make the festival as epic as possible. They dish about their personal band picks, favourite venues, and what they're listening to this summer. They are taking over the city June 14 - 20, and they want you to join them.

GILLIAN ZULAUF

Q. What is your role at NXNE 2010?
A. Project Manager – which is a succinct way of saying I’ve got my fingertips in a lot of pies. I do all the band logistics, Transport and Event Planning; as well as spearhead our Intern Program, merch and staff training as we grow. I love any opportunity to learn and / or showcase who I am, what I can do and why I’m the one to do it. read more...

Words By: Ivana Markotic
Photos By: Marko Djurdjic 

A heat alert was in effect in Toronto on May 25th and the best way to escape the hot mess was at the Kool Haus for the LCD Soundsystem show.  So I thought.  Returning to Toronto with their third album, This Is Happening, LCD Soundsystem played for over an hour and a half resulting in sweat to drip off the ceiling at the Kool Haus.

A claustrophobic stage of instruments, including multiple drum sets was pushed to the front of the stage. The setting itself is an ironic surrounding for singer James Murphy, who never intended to have a touring band.  As the producer and founder of Death From Above Records (DFA), LCD Soundsystem was started as a music project but evolved into a touring band with three records and hit songs including “Daft Punk is Playing at My House.” read more...

by Ivana Markotic

Girls Concert at Phoenix

“Show us your tits!” A man in the audience demands. An expected drunk holler for a band named Girls, however this group of Girls is made up of guys. Such is the irony in the name of San Francisco rockers Girls, founded by Christopher Owens and Chet JR White in 2007.

Six months since their last visit to Toronto, Girls returned to a grander stage at the Phoenix venue on April 9th. Touring in support of their album, Album (simplicity is key, parody is a plus) one of the most buzzed about bands of 2009 first made their introduction in Toronto at the El Mocambo; as the buzz peaked, round two saw them at the Phoenix. And as far as graduation in musical stages acts as a relativity scale of success in Toronto, if they manage to continue the streak of performance and a solid follow-up album by 2011-2012, we should see them at the Kool Haus, maybe. read more...

We love what the teaches of Peaches have had to offer us so far-so we were really looking forward to bible study. But, alas, Germany says no. Peaches was set to perform a one-woman interpretation of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar (CAN YOU IMAGINE?), but the Germans in charge of the rights couldn't hang. The magic was supposed to happen in Berlin, but it's a no-go. We wish we could convince ourselves that the version we're picturing in our heads would be better than the reality-but let's face it, nothing could be better than Peaches Christ Superstar.

by Caitlyn Holroyd
For those still in search of plans this V-Day, Bruce McDonald will be filming his new film TRIGGER at the Mod Club and you can be a part of it while supporting a great cause!

“For Florence” will feature performances by some of Toronto’s finest female talent, including Lioness, Heavy Filth, One Hundred Dollar Duets, The Ghost is Dancing, Carmen Elle, Foxfire, Lisa Lobsinger of Broken Social Scene, Hooded Fang, Alex Olsen and Jessica Lalonde, with all proceeds going to the Salvation Army’s Florence Booth House Women’s Shelter.

There will also be a short performance by TRIGGER, an internationally acclaimed (fictional) female-fronted band from the mid-’90s who infamously disappeared after a disastrous gig.

Doors open at 8pm, show starts at 8:30pm. It’s a free event but donations are encouraged.

by Haley Cullingham

Since this list is seriously subjective, instead of throwing together a list of acts that got the most attention over the last decade (Janet's nipple, Kanye's Roopocalypse), I've created a self-indulgent retrospective of the ten best live shows I was luckily enough to witness this decade. Some of them are legendary, some of them are notorious, and some of them no one remembers but me, and I'm going to kick myself for what I forgot tomorrow-but these are the shows I won't be forgetting for decades to come. (And yes, there's eleven-but I tried!) read more...