A brand known throughout the electronic music industry, Space Ibiza has graciously decided to bring the ruckus this Saturday, May 28 to Toronto’s Sound Academy.
With a lineup sure to please the house head in you, TVD‘s more than a little excited about it. Including DJs like M.A.N.D.Y, Adam Beyer and Camilo Franco, as well as Toronto debuts from Oliver Ingrosso, Jay Lumen and Chrispy, it’s bound to test your partying skills to the fullest.
So leave a bottle of water on your nightstand and have an Advil tucked under your pillow – you’re gonna need it.
Check back on Monday for a review on what you might’ve missed!
Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney, also known as The Black Keys are bringing their grassroots blues infused rock sound to Toronto at the Much Music Video Awards on June 19th. Fresh from their triple Grammy win, the Akron, Ohio natives have fashioned a career out of producing a sound that is distinctly raw and visceral in approach but polished enough to grab the attention of today’s finicky listeners. While coming across as purists who have stumbled on the big time, the Keys have been active for a decade but only recently tasted mainstream success with 2008’s Danger Mouse produced, “Attack & Release”. PS3 and X-box aficionados might recognize their tracks, “Tighten Up” and “Howlin’ for You” off the FIFA 11 and NHL 11 soundtracks respectively. The two songs are off their Grammy winning 2010 album, “Brothers” which has been lauded by even artists like the ever excoriating Liam Gallagher as being one of best LPs of 2010. Their performance at the MMVAs promises to be a treat for all those who like their rock bluesy, primitive and unfiltered.
On international weed smoker’s holiday (4.20) a sellout crowd of underground Hip-Hop fans of all ages assembled at Toronto’s Opera House to see The Heavy Metal Kings preform one of their first ever shows. The newly formed rap duo comprised of Vinnie Paz from Jedi Mind Tricks and Ill Bill from Non-Phixion was continuing a tour that began just three days before their first ever album release on April 5, 2011. Both rappers are well known & respected in the underground Hip-Hop world for lacing hard beats with even harder lyrics both as solo artists and with their respective groups.
As soon as the show began the crowd lit up, both with camera phones and greenery. With all the weed smoke filling the air, you would have thought that might have helped to subdue an otherwise rambunctious all ages crowd, but that was not the case. Almost instantly the floor area closest to the stage broke out with several violent mosh pits. Even the Opera House security kept their distance from the chaos, mainly contained in a few small pockets of people who clearly enjoyed moshing. At one point a fan attempted to grab Ill Bill. Bill quickly addressed the crown to let them know the rules: “If you touch me, I’m gonna touch you, hard”. Needless to say, nobody made any attempts to get at Bill or Paz for the rest of the show.
The two artists spent the majority of the show alternating fan favourites from their past solo & group albums. This made for an intense dynamic that maintained the crowds energy level near it’s peak for the entire show. The hit’s just kept rolling as fan’s were fortunate to hear many of their favourites such as Ill Bill’s “Black Helicopters”, & Jedi Mind Tricks “Heavenly Devine”. Vinnie Paz also preformed several tracks from his first ever solo album “Season Of The Assassin” which was released in June of 2010. It was clear to anyone who had witnessed Paz preform live in the past that he had made tremendous strides as an MC & as a live performer. His delivery was much clearer and his breath control was excellent, allowing him to carry his unique sound right through to the end of his verses, a feat that Bill who’s delivery sounded slightly forced was unable to accomplish.
After leaving the stage for a few moments the Heavy Metal Kings returned to the stage. They announced that they would be preforming one more track, but not before lighting up some of Toronto’s finest herbal medicine to celebrate 4.20. As Bill puffed away on a joint, he joked about how Vinnie was not a weed smoker. The crowd began to holler for Paz to take a hit. Eventually Paz gave in to the peer pressure and took a few tokes. The pair then cranked out the original “Heavy Metal Kings” single they had collaborated on for the Jedi Mind Tricks album “Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell”. The crowd once again erupted with enthusiasm. By the time they left the stage their was no doubt that Vinnie Paz & Ill Bill were indeed “Heavy Metal Kings”.
As we inch closer and closer to those warm months Torontonians desperately look forward to each year, one thing stands out as a definitive summer kick off – North By North East.
And with a preview of their lineup being posted just a short time ago, it’s easy to see why. With a blend of acts to suit just about everyone’s musical tastes, a few legendary performances to check out (Descendents!The Pharcyde!) and extended liquor licenses thrown around town, it’s no wonder why we’re just so excited.
Keep your eyes on the NXNE website for further updates on who’s playing where, and be sure to get your wristbands and passes ASAP. And we mean ASAP. It’ll be worth it, guaranteed.
Special to The Vinyl District Toronto, reviewer Adam Micallef brings us his take on the Raekwon show at Toronto’s Opera House this past Friday. Sadly he missed opener Miles Jones – always a crowd pleaser. Here’s what he had to say about the rest of the show.
Hundreds of Wu-Tang Clan fans descended on The Opera House in Toronto’s east end this past Friday. Although on this night only one member of the clan was scheduled to perform, loyal Wu followers would not be disappointed as Raekwon, one of The Clan’s more popular members, delivered a classic Wu-worthy performance.
At 12:15am he hit the stage garnering thundering applause from the entire venue, accentuated when the crowd noticed Rae’s attire. Rae came to T.O. aiming to please, rocking a fitted Blue Jays’ cap and Vintage Toronto Maple Leaf’s Jacket. He began the show performing his verse to “C.R.E.A.M.” with the rugged style he’s been famous for since he burst onto the Hip-Hop scene in 1993. This was one of the few times he stopped short of preforming an entire Wu-Tang song by himself, usually without missing a beat. He even took time to do a tribute to the late Old Dirty Bastard as he rapped “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” with a little help from the over 700 fans who’s actions throughout the night could best be described as “wilding out”. The entire set was comprised of classic material with songs such as “Ice Cream”, “Killa Bees” & “Criminology” much to the delight of the crowd that showed utter appreciation for Rae’s dedication. He did manage to squeeze in his new single “Rock ‘N’ Roll” from the Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang album that was released last month.
Exactly one hour after his set began Raekwon ended the night with an exceptional performance of one of his biggest hits “Incarcerated Scarfaces”. The only real criticism was that the one hour set was a little bit short for a rapper who has released five solo albums on top of the five albums he did as a member of The Clan. It was obvious that many fans, myself included were disappointed that there wasn’t an encore, but even still it would have been difficult to leave The Opera House upset after watching such a superb performance from one of Hip-Hop’s pioneers.
We’ve got an opportunity for you to win free tickets and the brand new “Love Notes/Letter Bombs” autographed on vinyl in every TVD city where the tour stops!
“As I write, lines from our work-in-progress third album drift into the house through the open windows. John is messing around with some new software in the studio/garage, and something I sang the other day about lying and surprising each other is playing over and over.
We’ve been working on the album in bits and pieces through the Fall and now the Winter. I’m filling notebooks with lyrics, but haven’t yet fit most of them to particular songs. John’s been creating instrumental tracks, beats, anything he finds interesting and new for us, and we’ve sung melodies in “la’s” over them. It sounds really exciting. (I suppose saying it sounds ‘exciting,’ is sort of like a menu which describes a sauce as ‘delicious,’ with no other distinguishing characteristics…but, you know what I mean.)”
And it is exciting now that the record’s been realized, released, and sitting on your local store shelves. “Love Notes/Letter Bombs” is as disarmingly wonderful as The Subs themselves and we’re delighted to be hitting the highway with Blake and John and crew to hit that point home.
The Submarines | Fire
TVD will be trailing The Submarines all across the US and Canada over the coming months and where’s there a TVD city among their tour stops, you’ll have an opportunity to win a pair of tickets for that city’s show as well as an autographed copy of the new release.
Entering is easy: simply plead your case in the comments to the post that’s relative to your city as to why you should win the The Sub’s tickets and vinyl, and the most convincing and arm-twisty of the bunch will be awarded the prizes. Courtesy of The Submarines. And us.
TVD Toronto – you’re up next! The Submarines play Horseshoe Tavern on Friday, April 22nd. Get at us in the comments and we’ll choose a winner on at 9AM on Friday for that night’s show! Now, go!
Record Store Day 2011 – the vinyl collector’s Christmas, so to speak. A day to truly appreciate what your local record store is doing to the community, and skip from sale to sale basking in some fresh vinyl at some extra-low prices. TVD Toronto couldn’t let you forget what’s really going on, so hit the jump for a short list of what some of our record store friends have let us know about…
Before slick new wavers GIRL come to play Toronto Alternative Arts & Fashion Week |FAT| on April 27th at 99 Sudbury decked out in their signature white suits, check out the vinyl they’re leaving behind in their Montreal apartment.
Courtesy of Louis Lupien of GIRL
1. Rarest piece of vinyl in GIRL’s collection: GEORGE BENSON : THE OTHER SIDE OF ABBEY ROAD
[Maybe not so rare, but pretty good music.]
2. Most spins in GIRL’s collection: RADIOHEAD : IN RAINBOWS
[Don’t remember what happened exactly at that time. But when it came out, we listened to it non-stop for half a year.]
3. Newest purchase in GIRL’s collection: ARCADE FIRE : THE SUBBURBS
[Brilliant music by brilliant people.]
4. Coolest looking cover in GIRL’s collection: JOY DIVISION : UNKNOWN PLEASURE
[We would actually kill to have a cover designed by Peter Saville]
5. Favourite vinyl by a Montreal band: JAUNE : JEAN-PIERRE FERLAND
[Not a band, but one of the best french album ever]
TORONTO, ON– The producers of the Toronto Urban Music Festival are excited to announce the initiation of the Urban Music Directory, the first and only online Canadian database created for the benefit of Canada’s vibrant and growing urban music community. Toronto Urban Music Festival Incorporated would like to invite urban artists and industry professionals from across Canada to submit their information to be included in the free online directory now at http://urbanmusicdirectory.com/
With a public launch set for the summer of 2011, the Urban Music Directory has opened its doors to collect new artist and industry contacts effective immediately. Urban artists and associated industry members are encouraged to add their information to this digital platform and connect to a Canadian and international audience.
The free online database will connect thousands of artists, bands, DJs, musicians, record labels, producers, promoters, festivals, booking agents, managers, music attorneys, clubs, associations, media and more — providing an essential one-stop guide to connect, collaborate and discover new audiences and industry resources.
Along with comprehensive contact information, urban artists and industry professionals will have the opportunity to add enhanced features including bios, as well as links to download and share music and other features to be announced around the site’s official launch.
In each city Mike plays where there’s an affiliated TVD, we’ve got an opportunity for one of you to win the aforementioned “hyphenated-man” on vinyl in exchange for your comment to the contest posting. Let us know why you deserve to win Watt’s latest vinyl opera and the most convincing of the bunch will find the LP in his or her mailbox.
For the seventh in what will be ten opportunities to win the new LP, Mike Watt + The Missingmen play at Horseshoe Tavern tomorrow, 4/9! You have one week from today to be sufficiently convincing in the comments to be awarded the record. Comments from a previous hyphenated-man giveaway will still be considered for future ones. Winners must have a mailing address in the continental US or Canada.
Mark Fagan of TVD Austin spoke with Mike in advance of the tour:
Mike Watt’s rock & roll résumé is as impressive as they come. His legendary career began with the Minutemen in 1980 alongside guitarist D Boon and drummer George Hurley which ran until the tragic car accident in December 1985 that took D Boon’s life. He then started fIREHOSE with Hurley and Ed Crawford which existed from 1986 to 1994, and has played bass for the legendary Stooges fronted by Iggy Pop for the last eight years. And those are just a few highlights from his storied career.
He’s back in support of his newest solo album and third opera, hyphenated-man, which features Watt on lead vocals and, of course, holding down the low end on electric bass with his signature flowing style that has inspired and influenced fellow bassists for decades. Interestingly, he actually composed hyphenated-man on D Boon’s Telecaster instead of the bass as per his usual practice.
Due to the growing backlog of projects, Watt decided to start his own label—clenchedwrench—and hyphenated-man has the honor of being the first release from this new imprint. The Vinyl District had a chance to chat with Mike before he hit the road.
A BUNCH OF LITTLE THINGS MAKE ONE
TVD: I read that hyphenated-man is inspired by the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch. Can you go into further detail on this? Watt: … [The documentary film on the Minutemen] We Jam Econo, have you heard of this?
TVD: Oh, certainly. Watt: Ok, [hyphenated-man] was being made about the same time these cats Keith [Scheiron] and Tim [Irwin] asked me to help them. So I hadn’t listened to Minutemen in a long time because of sadness – with D Boon – but I had to hear it, ya know, for this thing. They wanted me to do a spiel and drive ’em around town. But hearing it was it was like, “Wow, I kinda like this little thing.” [Watt laughs] Ya know, no filler. I wanna work again with this kind of thing. I mean we got the idea from the English band called Wire, Pink Flag. But I still like the way ya know George [Hurley], Boon, and myself went and did this. I wanted to do it again. It struck a chord in me, a resonance in me. Mr. Bosch used all these little things to make one big thing.
Minutemen kinda did that with a record or a gig ya know, a bunch of little things make one. That’s where I kinda found a little parallel. So, in a way I went back to my old days, but then in the opera form. … I was also thinking of this other angle, as far as the middle-aged thing goes. Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz. I don’t know the intention of the writer, it was a man, L. Frank Baum. I don’t know his intentions. But my take is like, you notice that that tin man and scarecrow and lion, they’re the farm hands.
As you can tell, TVD Toronto posts have been a little scarce as of late. With the Junos last week, Fashion Week this week, and the general busyness of our day-to-day lives, we’ve been pretty swamped over here. But we promise we’ll be back up and running very very shortly. In the meantime, here’s this weekend’s to-do list..
