Out of My Head

Music Y'all Should Hear - Florence and the Machine

2009-10-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

After receiving critical acclaim in the UK for her album 'Lungs' Florence Welch is well into her first tour of the US and Canada. Monday night she plays a Sold Out show at the Mod Club in Toronto.

Florence and the Machine is simply Florence Welch and a collaboration of studio and touring musicians. The name Florence and the Machine began as a private joke between Florence and a musician friend, nicknamed Isabella Machine. The story goes that on her way to her first gig she still did not have a stage name. She decided to call herself 'Florence Robot is a Machine' and started to attract notice at performances around London.

Florence and the Machine were showcased on the BBC shows BBC Introducing. Her performances at Glastonbury and T in the Park helped to further raise her profile. In 2008, the debut album Lungs was released under the name 'Florence and the Machine'. The album reached #2 in the UK charts and sold over 100,000 copies. Her debut single Kiss With a Fist was followed by Dog Days Are Over, Rabbit Heart and then Drumming Song.

The album Lungs is a solid effort which gets frequent plays on my iPod, besides the singles listed above favorite of mine are Girl With One Eye and My Boy Builds Coffins. Looking forward to reviews of her show on Monday night, and jealous of those keeners who didn't procrastinate buying a ticket like I did :(

Videos
Kiss With a Fist
Drumming Song
Dog Days Are Over

MySpace page
Band Website

Music Y'all Should Hear - Portugal, The Man

2009-10-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I missed Portugal, The Man in Toronto last week at The Horseshoe Tavern. BlogTO posted a nice review here. No, they're not from Portugal - the group came together in Wasilla, Alaska as a side-project of vocalist-guitarist John Gourley and bassist Zach Carothers, then members of Anatomy of a Ghost. They added Wesley Hubbard, Nick Klein on guitar and Harvey Tumbelson and formed a full-time band. They left Alaska and re-located to Portland, OR in 2004.

Klein and Tumbelson both left the band in spring 2005 and drummer Jason Sechrist joined . They recorded demos in 2004 before releasing their debut album Waiter: "You Vultures!" on Fearless Records on January of 2006.

In June, 2007 Portugal, The Man released Church Mouth, their second full-length album and toured North America and Europe. Following the tours, their touring keyboardist Ryan Neighbors was invited to join the band full time. In 2009, they released The Satanic Satanist, as well as The Majestic Majesty, a digital-only acoustic version of The Satanic Satanist.

I hope to catch them on their next go around through Canada.

MySpace page
Home site
On Twitter

Murder by Death - Songs about Drinking and the Apocalypse

2009-10-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

Went out to the Kool Haus Tuesday night to see the Gaslight Anthem - 3 other bands were on the bill: Broadway Calls, Jesse Malin and most interestingly 'Murder by Death'.
I had not heard of this Bloomington, Indiana 4-piece band before. A quick listen to a few of the tracks on their MySpace page and I was hooked - and instead of arriving 'in-time' for the headliners we decided to make sure we caught this band.
The most accurate description of the band's sound and subject matter came from guitarist/vocalist Adam Turla - "Our songs are about drinking and the apocalypse". First formed in 2000, as the Little Joe Gould, the band took the name Murder by Death from the 1976 Robert Towne-directed movie of the same name starring Peter Sellers and David Niven.
The present make-up of the band includes founding members Matt Armstrong on bass, Sarah Balliet on cello and keyboards and newest member (Since 2007) Dagan Thogerson on drums.
Songs that stuck with me were Brother (see below) and Comin' Home - which was featured in the trailer for Inglorious Basterds.

MySpace Page
Website

More stories at Gaslight Anthem at the Kool Haus

Wake Up and Smell the Maple Syrup - What are Your Favourite Canadian Songs of All-Time?

2009-06-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

It's Canada Day, time to get out the good bacon and think about the great music that came from Canadian musicians in the rock and roll era. Rush, BTO, Guess Who, Joni Mitchell, Tragically Hip, Billy Talent... the list goes on and on. Which of your favorite Canadian tunes belong on this list?

Heart of Gold - Neil Young ~ watch
Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell ~ watch
Suzanne - Leonard Cohen ~ watch
Ironic - Alanis Morissette ~ watch
Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams
Working For The Weekend - Loverboy
Tom Sawyer - Rush
Steal My Sunshine - Len ~ watch
Takin' Care of Business - BTO
Fifty Mission Cap - Tragically Hip
Try - Blue Rodeo ~ watch
Hot Child In The City - Nick Gilder ~ watch
Raise a Little Hell - Trooper
Spaceship Superstar - Prism ~ watch
American Woman - Guess Who
Patio Lanterns - Kim Mitchell ~ watch
You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet - BTO
Wake Up - Arcade Fire
You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
Doesn't Really Matter - Platinum Blonde
Life Is A Highway - Tom Cochrane
New Orleans Is Sinking - Tragically Hip
Safety Dance - Men Without Hats ~ watch
Drinking In LA - Bran Van 3000 ~ watch
Sunglasses at Night - Corey Hart
Roller - April Wine
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot
If I Had a Million Dollars - Barenaked Ladies
If I Had a Rocket Launcher - Bruce Cockurn
Intervention - Arcade Fire
4 AM - Our Lady Peace ~ watch
Tangerine - Moist ~ watch
Gasoline - Moist ~ watch
Silver - Moist ~ watch
Push - Moist ~ watch
The Grace - Neverending White Lights
Black Black Heart - David Usher ~ watch
Save Your Scissors - City & Colour ~ watch
Lightning Is My Girl - Auf Der Maur
One More Astronaut - I Mother Earth
Keep on Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young ~ watch
Bobcaygeon - Tragically Hip ~ watch
Some Kinda Fun - Teenage Head ~ watch
Tonight is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love - April Wine
Paradise Skies - Max Webster ~ watch
YYZ - Rush
Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf ~ watch
Having an Average Weekend - Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet
Pain for Pleasure - Sum 41 ~ watch
Nova Heart - The Spoons
Switchin' to Glide - The Kings
Summer Girl - Stereos ~ watch
Boys In The Bright White Sports Car - Trooper
New Girl Now - Honeymoon Suite
Never Surrender - Corey Hart
Metal Queen - Lee Aaron ~ watch
Man, I Feel Like a Woman - Shania Twain ~ watch
Whatcha Gonna Do - Chilliwack
Turn Me Loose - Loverboy ~ watch
Echo Beach - Martha & the Muffins
Working Man - Rita MacNeil
Snowbird - Anne Murray
Diana - Paul Anka
Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) - Glass Tiger ~ watch
Hey Operator - Coney Hatch ~ watch
Lager & Ale - Kim Mitchell
Hold On - Triumph ~ watch
Closer to the Heart - Rush
Here Comes the Night - Streetheart ~ watch
Pop Goes The World - Men Without Hats ~ watch
Last Song - Edward Bear
Hasn't Hit Me Yet - Blue Rodeo ~ watch
Load Me Up - Matthew Good
No Sugar Tonight - Guess Who
One Day In Your Life - 54-40
Nothing to Lose - Billy Talent ~ watch
I'm Coming Home - City & Colour ~ watch
New World Man - Rush ~ watch
Spirit of Radio - Rush ~ watch
Hey You - BTO
Make Me Do Anything You Want - A Foot in Cold Water
Oh What a Feeling - Crowbar
Old Emotions - Spoons ~ watch
Romantic Traffic - Spoons ~ watch
Underwhelmed - Sloan
The Good is Everyone - Sloan ~ watch
Run To You - Bryan Adams ~ watch
Fallen Leaves - Billy Talent ~ watch
Just One More Time - Headpins ~ watch
Don't It Make You Feel - Headpins
Things I Do For Money - Northern Pikes ~ watch
Sunny Days - Lighthouse
Blow at High Dough - Tragically Hip ~ watch
Barrett's Privateers - Stan Rogers ~ watch
Sudbury Saturday Night - Stompin Tom Conners
Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf watch
Today I Hate Everyone - The Killjoys ~ watch
Home - Chantal Kreviazuk
Surrounded - Chantal Kreviazuk ~ watch
Before You - Chantal Kreviazuk ~ watch
Clumsy - Our Lady Peace ~ watch
Naveed - Our Lady Peace ~ watch
Superman's Dead - Our Lady Peace ~watch
Angel - Sarah McLachlan
Ice Cream - Sarah McLachlan
Sweet Surrender - Sarah McLachlan ~ watch
Angel Eyes - Jeff Healey Band ~ watch
See the Light - Jeff Healey Band
I Will Remember You - Sarah McLachlan ~ watch
Broken Arrow - Robbie Robertson
Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm - Crash Test Dummies ~ watch
Superman - Crash Test Dummies ~ watch
Somewhere Down the Crazy River - Robbie Robertson watch

Music Y'all Should Hear - The Rumble Strips

2009-06-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

Named after the small bumps that line the edges of the highway, British band The Rumble Strips are about to release their second album Welcome to the Walk Alone this July. The current lineup, of Charlie Waller (guitar, vocals), Tom Gorbutt (sax, vocals, guitar), Henry Clark (trumpet, piano), Matthew Wheeler (drums) and Sam Mansbridge (bass) have been together since 2004 and are signed to Fallout Records.

In 2005 they released the single Motorcycle and toured with Dirty Pretty Things and The Young Knives. In 2006 they released their second single Hate Me (You Do) and toured supporting The Zutons. Their first EP Cardboard Coloured Dreams followed in late 2006.

In 2007 they scored two hit singles on the UK charts, Alarm Clock got to #41 and a re-release of Motorcycle reaching #46. Their debut album Girls and Weather, followed in 2007 contained the single Girls and Boys in Love, which was also featured in the Simon Pegg film Run Fatboy Run.

In late 2008 the band began working with producer, Mark Ronson on their new album Welcome to the Walk Alone.

Listen to the RumbleStrips on their MySpace page or at RumpleStrips.com

My 51 Fave Albums of the 1980s

2009-06-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh... I could not get it down to 50 no matter how brutal I was with my cuts. I started out with 120 albums and wound up with 5o plus 1.

1. Purple Rain - Prince & the Revolution
2. Appetite for Destruction - Guns n' Roses
3. Master of Puppets - Metallica
4. Brothers In Ams - Dire Straits
5. Synchronicity - The Police
6. Licensed to Ill - Beastie Boys
7. Welcome to the Pleasure Dome - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
8. 1984 - Van Halen
9. War - U2
10. Let's Dance – David Bowie
11. Joshua Tree - U2
12. Sweet Dreams – Eurythmics
13. Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden
14. Thriller - Michael Jackson
15. Pretenders – Pretenders
16. Music for the Masses - Depeche Mode
17. Faith - George Michael
18. Songs From the Big Chair - Tears for Fears
19. Born In the USA - Bruce Springsteen
20. Pyromania - Def Leppard
21. Private Dancer - Tina Turner
22. The Raw and the Cooked - Fine Young Cannibals
23. 1999 - Prince
24. Back in Black - AC/DC
25. Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel
26. Remain in Light - Talking Heads
27. The Head on the Door - The Cure
28. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret - Soft Cell
29. Dare - Human League
30. Moving Pictures - Rush
31. Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen
32. Hounds of Love - Kate Bush
33. Meat is Murder - Smiths
34. Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi
35. Queen is Dead – Smiths
36. Lexicon of Love - ABC
37. So - Peter Gabriel
38. Hysteria - Def Leppard
39. Strangeways Here We Come - Smiths
40. Sign O the Times - Prince
41. Pump - Aerosmith
42. Nothing''s Shocking - Jane's Addiction
43. Green - REM
44. Some Great Reward - Depeche Mode
45. Rain - Cult
46. 3 Feet High & Rising - De La Soul
47. Combat Rock - The Clash
48. Kick – INXS
49. Scarey Monsters - David Bowie
50. Disintegration – The Cure

and

51. The Hurting – Tears for Fears

Kasabian takes new album to UK #1

2009-06-14T18:22:00.000-07:00

This week Kasabian returns and takes 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum ' to the top of the UK album chart. Here's the latest single for 'Fire' which remains in the Top 10 this week.

Jack White brings Dead Weather to the Horseshoe Tavern

2009-06-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

On Friday afternoon the word was 'leaked' about a secret gig at The Horseshoe Tavern by Jack White's latest musical project Dead Weather. The group includes Alison Mosshart of the Kills on lead vocals, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age on guitar, White's Raconteurs partner Jack Lawrence on bass and Jack White himself on drums (yes, drums). Tickets would go on sale at 1pm on Sat afternoon at the Horseshoe for the fans with the resolve to stand in line.

Word is that the group put on a great show, check out this review by the Globe & Mail's J.D. Considine.

Here's a short video posted by a lucky fan who survived the lineups.

Beatles Rock Band - Why I Will Finally Buy an xBox 360! (maybe)

2009-06-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge gamer, I'm pretty satisfied tooling around Gran Turismo on my Playstation 2. I've messed around on Guitar Hero, but after seeing the great trailer and onscreen play of Beatles Rock Band I think I'm in need for an upgradee to an xBox 360. The trailer is gorgeous, made by Passion Pictures, famous for their work with Gorillaz. (I knew I recognized the style)

The game will be available worldwide September 9, and will feature replicas of Paul McCartney's famous Hofner bass, John Lennon's Rickenbacker guitar, George Harrison's Getsch guitar and even Ringo's Ludwig drums. The game also features support for three microphones to accommodate your attempt at following the Beatles vocal harmonies.

more game details here

My Favorite 50 Albums of the 70s

2009-06-06T14:40:00.001-07:00

I was 7 years old when the 70s arrived. The AM radio was a constant on car rides with our family and depending on where we were we'd be listening to country and pop hits on CKCL in Truro, or more rock and R&B tunes on CJCH in Halifax. Monthly trips to my visit relatives exposed me to the album collection of my aunt Heather who was in her late teens at the time. Albums by Beatles, Monkees were there, but also strange ones artists named Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk and Alice Cooper. I would flip through the covers excited by the cover images and try to imagine what the songs sounded like.

Rock radio did not exist in Nova Scotia during this time, so magazines were the important platform for selling rock music to kids like me. Rolling Stone, Crawdaddy, Cream, Rock Scene and my favorite Circus featured colorful photos and articles of groups like Deep Purple, Yes, Uriah Heep, Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin.

When I started getting into rock music, i was attracted by the shiny, the simple, the gimmicks... so of course I was wanting T-Rex, David Bowie and Alice Cooper. Luckily these groups also featured great songs and led to discovering other groups through the years. One thing you'll notice about my list of albums is that it doesn't include any R&B/Soul artists. I was also an avid buyer of 45s and that group of records was filled with rich 70s R&B artists like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Temptations, etc.

Every decade is unique, but once I started looking at my list I realized two things had happened during the decade. Both music and me had grown.

The following is a list of my favorite albums of the 70s - I've debated myself on what to include, what to leave out, what warranted rating one album over another. I decided to imagine which I played the most, which I remember and which contained some of my favorite hits and album tracks of that time. :D

1. A Night at the Opera – Queen (1975)
2. Led Zeppelin IV – Led Zeppelin (1971)
3. Van Halen – Van Halen (1978)
4. Ziggy Stardust – David Bowie (1972)
5. Billion Dollar Babies – Alice Cooper (1973)
6. Hotel California – Eagles (1976)
7. Bat Out of Hell – Meatloaf (1977)
8. The Wall – Pink Floyd (1979)
9. Alive – Kiss (1975)
10. The Cars – The Cars (1978)
11. Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols – Sex Pistols (1977)
12. Killer – Alice Cooper (1971)
13. Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd (1973)
14. The Stranger – Billy Joel (1977)
15. Live at Budokan – Cheap Trick (1978)
16. Destroyer – Kiss (1976)
17. My Aim Is True- Elvis Costello (1977)
18. Damn the Torpedoes – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1979)
19. Rocks – Aerosmith (1976)
20. Ramones – Ramones (1976)
21. Some Girls – Rolling Stones (1978)
22. Rumours – Fleetwood Mac (1977)
23. Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (1975)
24. This Year’s Model – Elvis Costello
25. London Calling – The Clash (1979)
26. Parallel Lines – Blondie (1978)
27. The Clash – The Clash (1977)
28. Boston – Boston (1976)
29. A New World Record – Electric Light Orchestra (1976)
30. Crime of the Century – Supertramp (1974)
31. More Songs about Buildings and Food – Talking Heads (1978)
32. B-52s – B-52s (1979)
33. Darkness on the Edge of Town – Bruce Springsteen (1978)
34. Breakfast In America – Supertramp (1979)
35. Outlando’s D’Amour – The Police (1978)
36. Pronounced Leh’-nerd Skin-‘erd – Lynyrd Skynrd (1973)
37. Dreamboat Annie – Heart (1976)
38. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd (1975)
39. Frampton Comes Alive – Peter Frampton (1976)
40. Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac (1975)
41. Physical Graffitti – Led Zeppelin (1975)
42. Aqualung – Jethro Tull (1971)
43. Heaven Tonight – Cheap Trick (1977)
44. Desolation Boulevard – The Sweet (1974)
45. Highway to Hell – AC/DC (1979)
46. 2112 – Rush (1976)
47. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway – Genesis (1974)
48. Animals – Pink Floyd (1977)
49. Harvest – Neil Young (1972)
50. Who’s Next – The Who (1971)

Terminator Tunes

2009-05-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Went out on Wednesday afternoon to see Terminator Salvation. Great movie, even though the ending was dragged out way beyond reason. Two great classic rock songs were featured in scenes of the movie, Alice in Chains' Rooster and Guns n' Roses' You Could Be Mine.

Rooster was first featured on the 1992 album Dirt and was written by guitarist Jerry Cantrell baout his father who had served in the Vietnam War.

Watch Rooster by Alice in Chains

You Could Be Mine was released on the Guns n' Roses album Use Your Illusion II and was featured on the end credits for Terminator 2: Judgement Day at the height of their popularity in 1991.

Watch You Could Be Mine by Guns n' Roses

16 Sweet 80s Metal Videos

2009-05-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

I spent a part of a lazy Saturday morning watching Decline of Western Civilization 2 - The Metal Years. Seeing the heroes, has-beens and never-wases of 80s metal had me pining for some 80s rock, so I spent the next hour (or so) on YouTube. Here are 16 videos that rocked my socks, leather pants and gravity-defying poufy mullet back in the day.

Cum On Feel the Noize - Quiet Riot watch
Here I Go Again - Whitesnake watch
Nuthin' But a Good Time - Poison watch
Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns n' Roses watch
Up All Night - Slaughter watch
Round and Round - Ratt watch
Eyes of a Stranger - Queensryche watch
Kiss Me Deadly - Lita Ford watch
Nobody's Fool - Cinderella watch
Once Bitten, Twice Shy - Great White watch
Seventeen - Winger watch
Looks That Kill - Motley Crue watch
Armageddon It - Def Leppard watch
Runaway - Bon Jovi watch
Rock You Like a Hurricane - Scorpions watch
Uncle Tom's Cabin - Warrant watch

What rocked your big-hair world in the 80s?

Music Y'all Should Hear - Antlers

2009-05-18T21:11:00.001-07:00

Antlers began as a solo outlet for New York's Peter Silberman's musical explorations released as the debut album In the Attic of the Universe. After its release Silberman withdrew to a self-imposed exile emerging to record a second album, entitled Hospice (2009, Frenchkiss). Antlers now include permanent members, Michael Lerner (drums) and Darby Cicci (banjo, trumpet & keyboards) and several other musicians. Hospice has seen positive reviews by NPR's All Songs Considered and Pitchfork.

Check out more of their music on MySpace or follow them on Twitter.

The Antlers @ Music Hall of Williamsburg from Patrick Duffy on Vimeo.

Music Y'all Should Hear - White Rabbits

2009-05-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Originally from the midwest and now based out of New York City, White Rabbits have released two albums; 2007's Fort Nightly (Say Yeah Records) and their latest 2009 It's Frightening (TBD). Led by the Greg Roberts (guitar & vocals) and Steve Patterson (piano & vocals) and rounded out by Alex Even (guitar), Adam Russell (bass), Matt “The Duck” Clark (drums) and Jamie Levinson (drums).

Hear their unique double drum sound in Percussion Gun video embedded below and check out more of their music on their MySpace page.

Mississauga Waterfront Festival Announces 2009 Performers

2009-04-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

In 12 years the Mississauga Watefront Festival has seen a number of great Canadian musicians perform, including Tom Cochrane, April Wine, Loverboy, Kim Mitchell, David Wilcox, Jann Arden, Chantal Kreviazuk, Rik Emmett, Jim Cuddy, Glass Tiger, Colin James and others. I think I've made it to at least one night each year.

This year's Festival on June 19, 20, 21 looks like one of the best years ever and all for $25.

Friday: Sam Roberts, Kathleen Edwards, Justin Nozuka
Saturday: 54-40, The Spoons, Skydiggers
Sunday: Bruce Cockburn, Mark Seymour, Catherine MacLellan

The shows are held in Memorial Park on the shore of Credit River, just off Stavebank Road. Port Credit is a very small area and you really can't miss the Festival area. Expect large crowds and if at all possible take Mississauaga Transit or the GO Train. The Port Credit GO Station is located a block away from Memorial Park. Parking is typically gone early and GO doesn't officially allow parking in their lots for non-customers. The area around the concerts has lots of activities for adults and kids all day including a full midway located in the parking lot of the Port Credit Library

Hope to see you there its going to be a lot of fun. For more information check out the Mississauga Waterfront Festival website.

5 Signs of 'Real' Spring in Port Credit

2009-04-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

1. Buds on the trees
2. Kids on bikes
3. Street hockey
4. Dogs crapping on grass instead of snow
5. I'm going outside and not even taking a jacket (despite the voice of my mother in my head telling me I should take one 'just in case')

What are the signs of spring in your area?

Music Y'all Should Hear - SUNBEARS!

2009-04-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

Touring as a two member band, Jared and Jonathan played in several of the same bands around Jacksonville for 8 years before setting out as the SUNBEARS! just over a year ago. Their first album Dream Happy Dreams has just been released. SUNBEARS! are currently on the road with Mates of State and fellow Jacksonville band Black Kids.

Check out SUNBEARS! on MySpace

SUNBEARS! SONG 9 from john kaschak on Vimeo.

Music Y'all Should Hear Now! - Cage the Elephant

2009-04-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Cage the Elephant blasted out of Bowling Green, Kentucky and have been seemingly following the same trajectory as Kings of Leon or The Strokes. They've found themselves gaining fans and a solid foothold in the UK and Europe, where their swaggering southern blues-rock is embraced by enthusiastic fans. The track 'Ain't No Rest For the Wicked' became a top 40 hit in the UK and they earned opening spots of both the aforementioned Kings of Leon and Queens of the Stone Age tours.

Formed in 2005 by brothers Matt (vocals) and Brad Schultz (guitar), and joined by high school friends Jared Champion (drums) and Daniel Tichenor (bass). Soon after Lincoln Parrish soon joined on lead guitar and Cage the Elephant began making their name on the local club circuit. They signed to Relentless Records and in June, 2008 they released their debut album 'Cage the Elephant'.

MySpace Page
Video for 'In One Ear'

40 Most Influential Voices In New Rock

2009-04-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Click here to see the original blog post. This is about new rock, punk, new wave, grunge, electronic, etc. Soooo, who did I miss? Who did I list too high? Too low?

Coming soon, the most influential voices in Hip Hop

01 - Elvis Costello
02 - Joey Ramone
03 - Joe Strummer
04 - Morrissey
05 - Eddie Vedder
06 - Ian Curtis
07 - David Byrne
08 - Kurt Cobain
09 - Thom Yorke
10 - Chrissie Hynde
11 - Bjork
12 - Trent Reznor
13 - Bono
14 - PJ Harvey
15 - John Lydon (Rotten)
16 - Robert Smith
17 - Paul Westerberg
18 - Siouxsie Sioux
19 - Annie Lennox
20 - Sinead O'Connor
21 - Paul Weller
22 - Nick Cave
23 - Frank Black
24 - Sting
25 - Billie Joe Armstrong
26 - Deborah Harry
27 - Ian McCulloch
28 - Michael Stipe
29 - Dave Gahan
30 - Anthony Kiedis
31 - Peter Murphy
32 - Hugh Cornwell
33 - Beck
34 - Damon Albarn
35 - Zach de la Rocha
36 - Jack White
37 - Henry Rollins
38 - Perry Ferrell
39 - Julian Casablancas
40 - Chris Cornell

New Rock Influencers
Just in case you wonder why these folks aren't listed above...

David Bowie
Iggy Pop
Bryan Ferry
Lou Reed
Patti Smith
Brian Eno
Peter Gabriel
David Johnansen

Music Y'all Should Hear - The Ettes

2009-04-05T09:20:00.001-07:00

Formed in Los Angeles in 2004 by Lindsay 'Coco' Hames (vocals, guitar), Maria 'Poni' Silver (drums) and Jeremy 'Jem' Cohen (bass), the Ettes create a sexy mashup the best of The Yardbirds, New York Dolls, Nancy Sinatra and the Stones into a raved up sound described as 'beat-punk'. In 2006 the trio put their money where their mouth is and self-financed a trip to record with Liam Watson, engineer and mixer of White Stripes 2003 Grammy Winning album 'Elephant' at his Toerag Studios.

The result was their debut album 'Shake the Dust' released on September 2006 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. Two vinyl-only 45s followed up the album release: 'Dead and Gone' and 'From the Songbook of Greg Cartwright' a split single with fellow garage rockers The Fondas.

The trio returned to Watson and Toe Rag Studios in the summer of 2007 to record their second album 'Look at Life Again'. Since then the Ettes have uprooted themselves from their native LA to spend more of their time touring throughout the UK and Europe.

Ettes on MySpace

Photos from their 2007 show at Lee's Palace

Airborne Toxic Event - May 4, 2009 The Mod Club, Toronto

2009-03-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

You gotta love last minute decisions. I had been hoping to get out to this show anyways, but my schedule went completely awry when Microsoft Outlook decided to crash and not re-open for a week. Long story short, I saw someone send a tweet that included a link to an Airborne Toxic Event on Blip.fm. Then it hit me that the band was scheduled to be in Toronto early in March and a quick Google told me that that night was tonight. Well, one advantage of living so close to a GO Station is events just like this. A quick change of clothes and I'm on my way downtown on the train, jump in a cab and within 10 minutes I'm on College Street at the Mod Club.

Much to my surprise the show was sold-out, I had no idea this many people in Toronto were hip to Airborne Toxic Event. A few minutes of sidewalk negotiation with a freelance ticket broker got me the access that I needed. By this time I had missed the opening act, which turned out to be fellow East LA band The Henry Clay People. I squeezed into a spot about halfway up the floor with a great view of the stage.

The group showed a ton of energy from the opening chord through to the 2-song encore. Stand out tracks like Wishing Well, Papillion, Gasoline were well received. Sometime Around Midnight and Does This Mean You're Moving on were greeted with applause by the receptive and appreciative crowd. Singer and guitarist Mikel Jollet explained that he had been advised to cancel the show by his doctor because of a developing case of laryngitis. This proved prophetic as the next 2 shows in Ottawa and Montreal had to be cancelled.

Highlights of the show was the playing of violinist Anna Bulbrook and the encore when the crowd was invited to join the band on the stage. Great band, great night :)

Music Y'all Should Hear - Hockey

2009-02-01T17:59:00.000-08:00

Hockey isn't just for Canadians anymore, as this Portland-based quartet illustrates with their blend of pop, soul and dance music. Hockey formed during 2002, in Southern California as vocalist Ben Grubin and bassist Jerm met while attending the same university program. They signed a development deal with Columbia and recorded with Talking Heads bassist Jerry Harrison. They brought on guitarist Brian and drummer Anthony and relocated to Portland, Oregon to join the music scene that produced The Shins and Modest Mouse.

Hockey's debut album Mind Chaos will be released this summer made up of a series of basement tracks as well as half a dozen new songs. The music has been described as a mix of Killers, MGMT and even LCD Soundsystem.

Links:
MySpace
Watch 'Too Fake' on YouTube

Movies to see: Slumdog Millionaire

2009-01-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

After seeing nothing but glowing comments everywhere about Slumdog Millionaire I decided to take advantage of a Sunday afternoon of running around to do errands to go see a movie. I cannot tell you how inspiring it was to see such a great story after a constant barrage of big effects movies and holiday dribble.

The movie directed by Danny Boyle and adapted from a book called Q and A follows Jamal Milik, a child who grew up on the streets of Mumbai finds his way onto the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He defies all expectations of the producers and the host and continues to answer the questions correctly. The explanation as to how he knows the answers leads us through the past, as we learn about Jamal's childhood, his brother, his small triumphs and his heart-wrenching losses.

To say anymore would be giving it away, but I will say that it is one of the most inspiring movies I have seen in a long time, and I would recommend that everyone skip the recent Tom Cruise, Adam Sandler, Spirit choices and take in this movie. You're going to end up seeing it sometime in the future anyways, and you'll wonder why you didn't go to see it before.

And the music rocks, too! Stay for the dance number during the end credits...

A cold Saturday in Port Credit

2009-01-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

Who is the ultimate voice of Modern Rock?

2009-01-03T20:17:00.000-08:00

I was reading the NME site today and saw the story that Robert Planet had been voted the 'Voice of Rock' by the readers of Planet Rock. I have to agree with most of the choices on the list, but... it didn't include any women (Janis Joplin or Grace Slick for example) and the representation of anyone in Modern Rock was non-existent. Now, Planet Rock is a Classic Rock site - so the choices would be limited to the definition of classic rock.

So, my question is... Who are the Voices of Modern Rock? Let's define Modern Rock as artists who have gained popularity since 1977. Over the next week I'll be asking this question amongst my friends on Facebook, Twitter, Blip.fm and of course 'real' life.

Who is the ultimate voice of Modern Rock?

Some early suggestions include...

Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
Debbie Harry
Caleb Followill (Kings of Leon)
Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
Bjork
Sting
Elvis Costello
Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters)
Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)
PJ Harvey
Patti Smith
Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders)
Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode)
Alison Moyet
Julian Casablancas (Strokes)
Joan Jett

My past life as a tshirt illustrator

2009-01-01T17:57:00.000-08:00

The first fulltime job I had as a designer was at a company outside of Halifax named Golden Screen Print. My job was to create the working files used to create the 'screens'. This would involve a combination of illustration (by hand), create lettering (by hand or with Letraset) and then combine all of these onto a film for each colour to be used for the actual screen printing. This was all done prior to having Macs in the studio, and any adjustments to sizing had to be done by using the process camera and darkroom. Below are a few examples of the original designs that I created.

Tom Cats

Surfin' Bird - NS Puffin

The Maui Moose

Prehistoric Party Animal

Punk Flamingos

Toronto Concert Calendar of Interest

2009-01-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

The Virgins - Feb 5, El Mocambo
Lykke Li - Feb 6, The Phoenix
Antony & the Johnsons - Feb 17, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Eagles of Death Metal - Feb 20, The Phoenix
The Airborne Toxic Event - Mar 4, El Mocambo
Bloc Party - Mar 14, Kool Haus
Cut Copy - Mar 20, CiRCA
Andrew Bird - Apr 3, Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Who I Saw in 2008 - Kaiser Chiefs

2008-12-31T00:08:00.001-08:00

The Mod Club, November 18

I arrived at the Mod Club from the CNMAs just in time to get a beverage and squeeze myself into a small place in the capacity crowd near the back. I still haven't got a clue who was, or if there was an opening act. The Mod Club was sold out and ready to roll when the Kaiser Chiefs took to the stage opening with Spanish Metal. I hadn't had much time to absorb their new album, Off With Their Heads so like everyone else I was waiting for the big hits.

High energy, lead singer Ricky Wilson ruled the stage and seemed to be everywhere all at once, including an early run through the crowd - somehow coming within about 10 feet of where I was standing and then getting back through the crowd to the stage in record time. The hits kept coming - Never Miss a Beat, Every Day I Love You Less and Less, Ruby and Modern Way.

Near the end, Wilson crowdsurfed his way through I Predict a Riot - and ended up running the length of the Mod Club bar and helping himself to a drink during Take My Temperature. By the time the show closed with rousing sing-a-long Oh My God the crowd and the Chiefs were spent. Definitely one of the best shows I've seen.

Smithistory

2008-12-30T13:54:00.000-08:00

The Smiths were one of the most influential bands of the 80s and onward. With Morrissey's new album Years of Refusal due for release in February, I (naturally) started making a list of my favorite Smiths songs in my head. So, here they are... agree? Disagree? What are your favorite Smiths songs?

1. How Soon Is Now
2. Girlfriend In a Coma
3. Is It Really So Strange
4. This Charming Man
5. Panic
6. Sheila Takes a Bow
7. The Queen Is Dead
8. William It Was Really Nothing
9. Please, Please Let me Get What I Want
10. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now

Music y'all should hear - The Black Angels

2008-12-30T11:02:00.000-08:00

I love discovering a great band on a casual recommendation, such was the case when Brian Carter twittered about a great Velvet Underground-influenced band that he was enjoying listening to today.

The Black Angels are (another) great band out of Austin. Seriously folks, what is in the water there? I haven't visited Austin yet, but have always had a plan in the back of mind to hit the Austin City Limits festival in September. Anyways, back to the band. Formed in Austin in 2004, they took their name from the Velvet Underground song The Black Angels Death Song. Even their logo of a reversed image of Nice speaks loudly again to the Velvet's influence.

The Black Angels have released 2 albums: 2006's Passover and 2008's Directions to See a Ghost. They've been featured on the soundtrack of Kevin Bacon's Death Sentence and on the TV show Fringe. Nothing on their site about any current touring right now, but I will be keeping my eye out for them if they decide to venture this far north. But, I'd be happy enough to go to Austin to see them also.

Check out their site here.

Black Angels - Young Men Dead from Death Sentence

Music y'all should hear - GlasVegas

2008-12-29T23:37:00.000-08:00

I was turned onto GlasVegas by a coworker with great taste who passed on their debut CD to me. I fell in love immediately with the heavy sound, the singer's thick Glasgow accent and specifically the songs Geraldine and It's My Own Beating Heart That Makes Me Cry.

Glasvegas was formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2003 led by cousins James (guitar & vocals) and Rab Allen (lead guitar) alongwith Paul Donoghue (bass) and Caroline McKay (drums). Their name is a tongue-in-cheek play on words of their home town. After releasing 4 independent singles I'm Gonna Get Stabbed , Go Square Go , It's My Own Beating Heart That Makes Me Cry , & Daddy's Gone - they became the subject of a label bidding war. Eventually they signed to Columbia and flew to New York to record their debut album. The debut album went on to peak at #2 in the UK, leading to a brilliant Christmas EP entitled A Snow Flake Fell (It Felt Like a Kiss).

They are set to appear on David Letterman on January 6th, and their first two US dates in Boston and New York are already sold out. Still no news on a Toronto date, but miracles have happened before.

Check out their site.

Music y'all should hear - The Airborne Toxic Event

2008-12-29T23:04:00.000-08:00

Discovered this band earlier tonight when I saw that 'Sometime Around Midnight' had been added to this week's BBC Radio 1 playlist. Gave it a listen on Blip.fm and now I'm digging their album 'The Airborne Toxic Event'on my iPod. The group was formed in 2006 in Los Angeles by fiction writer Mikel Jollet, who began writing a series of songs after being diagnosed with Autoimmune Deficiency. Mikel was joined by keyboardist Steven Chen, bassist Noah Harmon, drummer Daren Taylor, and keyboardist and violinist Anna Bulbrook. Last year the LA Times tagged them as one of the Top 3 LA Bands to watch in 2008.

Their name The Airborne Toxic Event was taken from the 1985 book 'White Noise', in which a poisonous chemical cloud is released from a railcar. In 2006, they released an Ep titled Does This Mean You're Moving On? In 2008 they released their debut album The Airborne Toxic Event.

Much to my chagrin I just recalled that The Airborne Toxic Event performed on the second stage at last September's Virgin Music Festival here in Toronto. I must have been camped out in the Bacardi dance tent or forcing my way to the front of the crowd at the main stage for Oasis at the time. After checking their tour schedule I see they will be back performing at Toronto's El Mocambo on March 9th, 2009. They are also scheduled to appear on David Letterman on January 16th. Check for more tour dates in your town here.

My Favourite Albums of 2008

2008-12-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
2. Stay Positive - The Hold Steady(Vagrant)
3. Only By The Night - Kings of Leon
4. Oracular Spectacular - MGMT (Columbia)
5. Evil Urges - My Morning Jacket (ATO)
6. Furr - Blitzen Trapper (Sub Pop)
7. Youth Novels - Lykke Li (LL/Atlantic)
8. Death Magnetic - Metallica (Warner Bros)
9. Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie (Sub Pop)
10. Attack and Release - Black Keys (Nonesuch)
11. Rook - Shearwater (Matador)
12. Saturdays = Youth - M83 (Mute)
13. Kensington Heights - Contantines (Arts & Crafts)
14. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL)
15. For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver (Jagjagwar)
16. GlasVegas - GlasVegas (Columbia)
17. The Stand Ins - Okkervil River (Jagjagwar)
18. Santogold - Santogold (Downtown)
19. Dear Science - TV on the Radio (Sub Pop)
20. Tha Carter III - Lil Wayne
21. Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
22. No Age - No Age
23. Skeletal Lamping - Of Montreal (Polyvinyl)
24. Off With Their Heads - Kaiser Chiefs (B-Unique)
25. Carried to Dust - Calexico (Quarterstick)

Movies I Love: 24 Hour Party People

2008-12-25T21:05:00.000-08:00

The story of 'Tony Wilson', host of 'So It Goes' - the only place people in late 70s Manchester could get a their fix of upcoming punk and new wave bands like The Jam, Sex Pistols, Stranglers and Siouxie & the Banshees. He and others are inspired by seeing a Sex Pistols concert in 1976 - and Wilson decides to abandon the tv show and open a club and manage artists full time. The first act he is involved with is Warsaw, soon to be re-named Joy Division. The film documents their beginnings, and the tragic suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis. They go on to become New Order and Wilson creates Factory records. The second act of the movie features the rise of the Hacienda club, rave culture and its leading purveyors: the Happy Mondays.

I could watch this movie a hundred times and probably will now that I have purchased the DVD. Steve Coogan is great as the late Tony Wilson and frequently breaks the scene and provides extra commentary to the viewer. Great cameos from Howard DeVoto (Buzzcocks), Mark E. Smith (The Fall) and Paul Ryder (Happy Mondays)

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

Happy Mondays - Step On