From the Malian countryside to Brooklyn, Amsterdam to Tokyo to Toronto and back, here are seven of the releases that stuck in my head this year – in chronological order. Tokyo Ska Paradise – Ska Me Forever (Nacional Records – February 10, 2015) 2015 marked the 25th anniversary of Tokyo Ska Paradise and they celebrated […]
Facing the garlanded stage with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra warming up, looked down on by the Etobicoke School of the Arts Holiday Chorus, I can’t help but feel the buzz of holiday cheer. I have not had the privilege to attend the symphony since I was a child, and am enjoying the energy of Roy […]
I recently had the extreme pleasure of seeing The Lone Bellow at Boston’s House of Blues, and I can’t have asked for a better way to spend a Wednesday night. The first opener of the show was Hugh Masterson, a singer-songwriter out of my very own Nashville, TN. He said at the beginning of his […]
Two nights in October, I did something I haven’t done in far too long- I went to the symphony. But these were not regular nights at the symphony. There was no Peter Oundjian, an uncharacteristic smell filled Roy Thomson Hall, the average age of the patrons was at least 20 years below expected and, when […]
February 19th 2016 on Dead Oceans Records Pre-order Marlon Williams: CD, LP & ltd tan vinyl Download on iTunes Amazon Support your local independent record store “Hello Miss Lonesome”, the first single off the upcoming release by Marlon Williams, is a kinetic track – retro roots country played at breakneck speed. It’s a virtuosic turn […]
Let me tell you, Modest Mouse was my high school jam. I remember so many hours spent in the car, driving to and from school, rocking “Paper Thin Walls” like I was super edgy or something. Which is why I was excited to listen to the band’s newest effort, Strangers to Ourselves, when I learned […]
It may come as a surprise to find that Stereo Dynamite Sessions, Vol. 1, just released in Canada on October 16, 2015, is the debut solo album from Simone Denny. After all, we’ve been hearing her voice tearing up the dance floor for years. The five-time Juno Award winner is the former lead singer of […]
You’re a cool kid. You’ve got a rad costume, a killer apartment with a bottle opener attached to the wall, and at least 8 friends. So, naturally, you’re going to throw a Halloween party, right? Well, to do that you’re going to need a playlist as spooky as the fake eyeballs in the punch bowl. […]