Music Y'all Should Hear - Portugal, The Man

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.



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Murder by Death - Songs about Drinking and the Apocalypse

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.

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

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

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

Jack White brings Dead Weather to the Horseshoe Tavern

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.

Terminator Tunes

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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'

Who is the ultimate voice of Modern Rock?

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
  

Who I Saw in 2008 - Kaiser Chiefs

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

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

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

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

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.

Movies I Love: 24 Hour Party People

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