Together Pangea at Hard Luck Bar

      Yesterday, I spent the day painting walls and tearing old hardwood floor out a farmhouse in the countryside north of Toronto. It was a humid afternoon, unseasonably warm for October and I blasted Together Pangea's latest album Bulls and Roosters to pass the time. After a quick autumn hike and a drum lesson, I headed into the city to catch them at Hard Luck, along with tourmates Daddy Issues out of Nashville. A last-minute cancellation meant that Tall Juan wouldn't be appearing at the Toronto show, but he was replaced by local garage rockers Vypers and Goodbye Honolulu, a fitting substitute for the vibe of the show. I missed their set last night, but I've seen Goodbye Honolulu a few times before and it's always a great time.
      Daddy Issues went on just after I arrived at the venue and they absolutely killed it! Self-described as a grunge pop, alien punk band, they played songs about heartbreak and dating people in bands. They are signed to Nashville indie label Infinity Cat, which features releases from bands like Guerilla Toss, Colleen Green and White Reaper. Their latest album Deep Dream is definitely worth a listen!
      Together Pangea played a great set, as well, full of energy with lots of dancing, head-banging and arm-swinging from the crowd up front. It wasn't quite a mosh pit, but almost. The band played a mix of songs from their four LPs including garage rock crowd pleasers like 'Money On It' and 'Better Find Out' from their latest release. I'd seen them once before at Lee's Palace when they were on tour with The Growlers and the Burger Records Caravan of Stars in 2013. Their latest album Bulls and Roosters is out now on Harvest Records . Check it out here and if you're in the midwest or on the Pacific coast, you can still catch them on the tail end of their North American tour before they head off to Europe.

Sept. 14 - San Diego, CA @ Irenic
Sept. 15 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
Sept. 16 - Vegas, NV @ Bunkhouse
Sept. 17 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel
Sept. 19 - Austin, TX @ Stubbs Jr.
Sept. 20 - Dallas, TX @ Three Links
Sept. 21 - Houston, TX @ White Oak
Sept. 22 - New Orleans, LA @ Poor Boy Bar
Sept. 23 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
Sept. 24 - Orlando, FL @ The Social
Sept. 26 - Nashville, TN @ The End
Sept. 27 - Carrboro NC @ Cats Cradle
Sept. 28 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro
Sept. 29 - Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage Lounge
Sept. 30 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Oct. 01 - Boston, MA @ Sonia TICKETS
Oct. 03 - Montreal, QCOct. 05 - Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s 

Oct. 06 - Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge 

Oct. 07 - Madison, WI @ Frequency 

Oct. 08 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry 

Oct. 10 - St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird 

Oct. 11 - Ames, IA @ Maintenance Shop 

Oct. 12 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown 

Oct. 13 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge 

Oct. 14 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court 

Oct. 16 - Seattle, WA @ Vera Project 

Oct. 17 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret 

Oct. 18 - Portland, OR @ Analog Theater 

Oct. 20 - Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s 

Oct. 21 - San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel 

Oct. 22 - Santa Cruz, CA @ Atrium 

Dent May at The Horseshoe Tavern

Luna Li

Last night, I ended my Labour Day weekend at the Horseshoe Tavern to see Dent May on his current North American tour. Toronto band Galkin started the night early with some psychedelic stoner rock and local fave Luna Li warmed up the crowd with her dreamy garage rock. It was a perfect intro before Dent May transported the crowd from a rainy night in Toronto back into summer with his breezy, upbeat SoCal synth-pop. Starting out the set with tracks from his latest release Across The Multiverse (Carpark Records), Dent May worked the crowd into a frenzy on the dance floor, with arms flailing and fans yelling and singing along to his songs both new and old. About midway through the set, he started playing a few of his older tunes "for all the Dent May-niacs in the crowd", pausing only to give us a taste of his signature sense of humour. Everyone was cheering for one more song before he even left the stage and the band just picked up their instruments again and launched into the classic, "Meet Me in the Garden", off of his classic debut album, The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele.

Dent May

Wanna see more shows? Check out Jukely! Find out more about the concert subscription service here. Sign up here and get $10 off your subscription with this link! https://www.jukely.com/r/vc9b25

Stranded Fest 2017 at Lee's Palace

This past Saturday in Toronto, Lee's Palace hosted the 2nd annual Stranded Fest. Much like the legendary Death to T.O. held at Lee's every year at Halloween, the show featured local acts playing tribute sets to some of their favourite bands. Billed as "a night for a city left behind by big festivals", the event got its start when both Riot Fest and Vans Warped Tour abandoned Toronto. Folks who showed up early enough were treated to free pizza from Panago and bands warmed up the stage with tributes to The Story So Far, The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys and Simple Plan. Headlining the event were local punk rockers Pkew Pkew Pkew covering the Clash and Good Kid playing as The Strokes. Pop punk fans in the crowd were maybe even more excited to hear Good Kid play their latest release 'Witches', dancing and screaming along with the chorus. In true festival fashion, there was even a giant beach ball bouncing around the mosh pit. With the Dance Cave still going strong upstairs, Romancer closed out the night with a set covering Jimmy Eat World. Who needs festivals anyway?

Good Kid as The Strokes

Full list of bands that performed:

PKEW PKEW PKEW as THE CLASH
GOOD KID as THE STROKES
Romancer as JIMMY EAT WORLD
Minority 905 as SIMPLE PLAN
The Implications as ARCTIC MONKEYS
Glass Cactus as THE STORY SO FAR
cleopatrick as THE BLACK KEYS


I checked out this show with Jukely. Find out more info about the concert subscription service here. Sign up and get $10 off your first month with this link! https://www.jukely.com/r/vc9b25

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Ultimate Painting at the Velvet Underground

Ultimate Painting, July 23, 2017, Velvet Underground.

For the last two months, I've been trying out Jukely's concert subscription service in Toronto. If you haven't heard, it's essentially the Netflix of live music, allowing users to go to an unlimited number of select shows in 16 cities around North America, including Toronto, for just $25/month. There are a few limitations, but you can check out the full details over at their FAQ page. I've been having a lot of fun and saving lots of money since I would have bought tickets anyway for at least half of the shows I've seen. It's also allowed me to check out other bands and discover new live music without breaking the bank. It's also a good thing for Toronto's looming venue crisis, as beloved spaces continue to shutter their doors, Jukely encourages people to get out and enjoy live music more frequently. If you love going to shows as much as I do, definitely try out their service. You can get $10 off your first month by signing up here.

Last night, I saw Ultimate Painting at the Velvet Underground. The band features Jack Cooper and James Hoare (formerly of Mazes and Veronica Falls, respectively) and they brought their flowery, neo-psychedelia all the way from London, UK. Drawing comparisons to bands like Real Estate, the Velvet Underground and even the Grateful Dead, Ultimate Painting's mellow, airy melodies filled the room and conjured images of sunny meadows and beaches. They played a number of songs from their second album Green Lanes (2015) and their most recent release Dusk (2016), including "Break the Chain", "I've Got the (Sanctioned Blues)" and "Song for Brian Jones". The band came right out and said they were feeling a little disheartened, and the thinly populated venue (even for a Sunday night) probably didn't help, but they played a great set nonetheless and showed their appreciation for the audience many times. "We've been here before and we'll be here again," Cooper spoke into the microphone before closing out the set with a long, noisy psychedelic jam. I caught their set a few years ago at The Silver Dollar and I'll definitely be going for round three the next time they're in town. They have a few more shows in North America before heading back to the UK. Tour dates are listed below.

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Soul Asylum At The Danforth Music Hall

The Band: Dave Pirner (vocals, guitar), Ryan Smith (guitar), Winston Roye (bass) and Michael Bland (drums)

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Soul Asylum at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto. Photos by Danielle Burton.

       Soul Asylum are back on the road this summer after an extensive cross-country tour supporting their latest release Change of Fortune in 2016. Their Canadian dates have been few and far between over the past decade, but we were lucky enough to catch them on Tuesday night at the Danforth Music Hall for an energetic live show that spanned their 35-year career. Cracker opened the show and got the crowd warmed up with their alt-Americana and crowd-pleasers like “Low” and “Get Off This”. I heard a few people mention they had come specifically for Cracker, so they’ve got quite a substantial fanbase in their own right. Soul Asylum started off with three of their biggest hits, “Somebody to Shove”, “Black Gold” and “Runaway Train”, getting them out of the way early to move on to their more recent material. The focus was on the music as the band played in front of only a black curtains and four stack amplifiers, running back and forth the stage, jumping and head-banging into a frenzy. Lead singer and guitarist Dave Pirner broke up the set with a few jokes and like so many American bands I’ve seen this year in Canada, he made sure to show us where he stands on the current political climate, shouting “Glad you don’t live in Trump town” before breaking into “Doomsday”. Soul Asylum made a name for themselves thanks to their raucous live shows in the early days and they still put on a great performance. Dave tells me it’s probably his favourite part of the job and it definitely shows on the stage.

       If you need a refresher, Soul Asylum were a huge part of the alternative rock scene in the 90s with their classic albums Grave Dancers Union (1992), Let Your Dim Light Shine (1995), and Candy From A Stranger (1998). Before that, they were a successful indie band on Twin/Tone Records out of their hometown of Minneapolis (the label is now defunct but you can still contact them on their website to order custom-made CDs of out-of-print releases). If you’re wondering what it was like to be in an indie band in the 1980s, Dave Pirner describes the early days as “many, many nights of living like animals, sleeping in parking lots and on people’s couches, but with a really cool network of other indie bands that you’d run into travelling around America." Sounds a lot like being in an indie band today, except their network included fellow Minneapolis alt-rockers Husker Dü and The Replacements, who were all creating a new aggressive and obnoxious sound that would pre-date the grunge scene in Seattle. Soul Asylum had a practice space above the Twin/Tone office and Husker Dü was right next door. They were on tour opening for The Replacements when they first signed to the label. They would play at a venue called Goofy’s with a strip club on the second floor and some nights the entire audience was made up of members of other bands in the local scene. As it turns out, Minneapolis is very much a punk rock city and Dave recalls that “we slowly found that every town had a little percolating punk rock scene” before grunge exploded in the Pacific Northwest. I wonder out loud why Seattle became the epicentre and Dave muses “maybe it’s the weather.” 

       Soul Asylum earned a loyal fanbase and were signed to a major label just as the grunge scene started to take off. They reached platinum-level with Grave Dancers Union in 1992, which will see its 25th anniversary this October. They plan to re-release the album along with live recordings and bonus outtakes to celebrate this milestone. Never a band to lean on their 90s nostalgia, Soul Asylum is still working on new material, which Dave says is almost through the writing process. We’re looking forward to seeing a new album sometime in the future, but in the meantime, pick up Change of Fortune to hold you over and catch them at one of their upcoming shows this month.

Dave’s Music To Check Out: Bruise Violet (Minneapolis punk rock), Dessa (Minneapolis hip-hop), TV On The Radio, Sufjan Stevens

Tour Dates:

July 14 in Marietta, OH at People's Bank Theatre 

July 15 in Pickerington, OH at Picktown Palooza 

July 18 in Toronto, ON at Danforth Music Hall 

July 19 in Albany, NY at Empire Plaza 

July 20 in Westbury, NY at The Space 

July 21 in Peekskill, NY at Paramount Hudson Valley 

July 23 in Englewood,NJ at Bergen Performing Arts Center

July 24 in Brigantine, NJ at Laguna Bar and Grill 

July 26 in Port Chester, NY at Capitol Theater 

Ghost @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre

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       Ghost is a 6-piece heavy metal band formed in Sweden in 2008. Their 2010 debut album Opus Eponymous was widely praised and since then, the band has swiftly gained popularity throughout Europe and North America. Their most recent albums, Infestissumam (2013) and Meliora (2015) reached number one in Sweden and 'Cirice', the lead single off Meliora, earned them an award for Best Metal Performance at this year's Grammys. Earlier this fall, they released a 5-song EP Popestar, meant to serve as an extension to Meliora. The EP features mostly covers of bands including Echo and the Bunnymen and Eurythmics, along with one original, the lead single 'Square Hammer'. They are currently finishing up the North American leg of the Popestar Tour, before heading back to Europe where they will begin recording a new album early next year. We were lucky enough to catch their sold out show in Toronto this week at Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

       The show started at around 8pm with opening act Marissa Nadler. The gothic folk musician from Boston has joined Ghost on tour since October. While she has a very different style from the headliner, her performance complemented it nicely. Accompanied by another guitarist, Marissa stood in the center of the dimly lit stage, surrounded by smoke and delivered her quiet, ethereal songs with only an electric guitar and her hauntingly beautiful voice. The music was closer to dream pop than hard rock or heavy metal, but she showed off her talent for finger-picking and played searing guitar solos with a tone reminiscent of Slash's Les Paul. About half of the audience were still hanging out in the bar and lobby during her performance, which is unfortunate because she played a great set that included stripped-down, dreamy covers of metal pioneers Black Sabbath and Danzig.

       After a brief intermission, the theater started to fill up with a sea of black band t-shirts and leather jackets. Diehard fans wore skull face paint to emulate their hero, lead singer Papa Emeritus III, and one even had the full papal miter and robe. The anticipation was building and the atmosphere felt more like a grandiose cathedral as the sounds of Allegri's 'Miserere Mei, Deus' and Jocelyn Pook's 'Masked Ball' poured over the loudspeaker. Screams of ecstasy rang out and metal horns shot into the air as the lights went down, signaling that the ritual was about to begin. Everyone jumped to their feet as the Nameless Ghouls appeared, all dressed in matching black suits emblazoned with the elemental symbols they are known by and silver horned masks. Papa was in full costume and kicked off the theatrical performance with 'Square Hammer' and the epic headbanger 'From the Pinnacle to the Pit'. 

      The whole room was in the palm of his hand as he incited cheers and screams with just a motion of his fingers. Striding back and forth the stage, making wide, sweeping hand gestures, Papa is a showman of the first degree and kept the audience engaged like a preacher at a tent revival show. After a few songs, he introduced two nuns, the night's "sisters of sin" and condemned them to the pits and aisles to interact with the crowd. He left the stage briefly for a quick costume change and returned wearing a more casual gothic-style tuxedo. The show continued on as the band played songs spanning their three albums and there wasn't a dull moment in the entire set. Unlike most metal shows, there were no hair windmills, screams or headbanging; the Ghouls wandered around the stage, occasionally stepping up onto the monitors and making their soaring guitar licks look effortless. They are all excellent musicians and a very tight band and Dave Grohl is even rumoured to have dressed up and secretly drummed with them. Papa took a few breaks between songs to make stage banter and made a point of expressing his distaste for the results of the American Election the night before. 

     They finished the set with the song 'Ritual' from their debut album and the Ghouls stood out front of the stage taking a bow like actors in a play. An audience member handed Papa Emeritus a bouquet of roses and before he even made it off the stage the crowd was chanting for one more song. He took a sip of water and said "You think we are done? You think we would leave you with a shit ending like that?" The band doesn't take themselves too seriously. He then launched into a sermon about the wonders of the female orgasm, comparing the show to a long night of love-making and had a heart to heart with a fan in the front row who was having their "first time". The Ghouls returned for the encore, the inn-chocked 'Monstrous Clock' off their second album, which they always use to finish the show. The crowd were certainly leaving satisfied that night. Their North American tour ends in Brooklyn tomorrow night, but if you get the chance to see them in the future, definitely take it! Even if you aren't a metal fan, their music is pretty accessible and light for the genre, maybe even closer to hard rock in the vein of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Either way, the theatrical aspect of the performance and energy of the crowd alone is enough to make it worthwhile.

Grouplove @ The Danforth Music Hall

The Band: Hannah Hooper (vocals, keyboards), Christian Zucconi (vocals, guitar), Sean Gadd (bass), Andrew Wessen (guitar, vocals), and Ryan Rabin (drums)

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       California indie-rock band Grouplove are touring in support of their latest album 'Big Mess', released on September 9th on Canvasback/Atlantic. MUNA and Dilly Dally have been joining them on the North American leg of the tour, which has been regularly selling out for good reason. On Sunday, October 30th, they made a stop in Toronto to perform at the Danforth Music Hall.

       Toronto alt-rockers Dilly Dally kicked off the night just before 8:00pm and the room was packed early for the hometown band. Playing mostly songs from their debut album 'Sore', which was released last year to critical acclaim on the aptly-named Buzz Records. I've seen the band a few times before and they always put on a great show. Closing the set with their two singles 'The Touch' and 'Desire', their heavy, 90's throwback vibe was a great complement to the punkier side of Grouplove.

       Next up were fellow Los Angeles pop-rockers MUNA, who released their debut 'The Loudspeaker EP' on RCA Records this past May. The 5-piece warmed up the room with a high energy set of danceable synthpop jams that couldn't help but get the crowd moving. Every member of the band was even dancing wildly on stage throughout the whole performance. Things got a bit emotional near the end when they announced it would be their final show with their bass player and then played some new songs before giving up the stage to Grouplove. 

       With about a half hour break between sets, the crowd was ready to see the headliner. The band appeared one by one on the dimly lit stage and got things rolling with the song 'I'm With You' off their second album 'Spreading Rumours'. It was a great choice to open with since it starts out slow but picks up speed about midsong. They continued with some tracks from their latest album 'Big Mess' peppered with early classics like 'Itchin' on a Photograph' and 'Tongue Tied'. These sent the audience into a mad frenzy. The band had a lot of energy, with lead vocalists Hannah and Christian dancing and bouncing around the stage constantly. During the third song, Christian walked out to the edge of the stage and let himself fall backwards into the crowd for a brief stage dive before being abruptly rescued by security. Later on, Hannah ventured a little further to sing half of a song from the middle of the audience floor. The band seemed to be having a great time and they made a point of noting how excited they were to be back and playing their "biggest show ever in Toronto."

       The light show and backdrop were amazing, with multiple variations ranging from big flashing strobe lights to just a few beaded strings of lights hanging over the backdrop. The audience were engaged at every moment and vigorously waving their hands in perfect unison during their biggest hits. The band played a fantastic cover of the Beastie Boys' 'Sabotage'  before finishing the set with their latest single 'Welcome To Your Life'. They walked offstage, but not a single audience member turned to leave, as ethereal ambient music droned on beneath the crowd's chanting "GROUP! LOVE! GROUP! LOVE!" Finally, Christian returned alone and sat centre stage with his acoustic guitar and began a solo rendition of 'Enlighten Me'. The band joined him to finish the song and played two of their biggest singles 'Ways To Go' and 'Colours' for a satisfying three-song encore. Overall, it was a great show and Grouplove are definitely worth checking out the next time they pass through Toronto. 

'Big Mess' is out now on Canvasback/Atlantic Records. 

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Check out our previous profile of Grouplove here.

Upcoming Shows - October 25 - 30

It's a great week to see some live music in Toronto. Here are some of the shows we're excited about!

Wednesday, October 26

Hinds (w/ Cold Fronts and Goodbye Honolulu)
Adelaide Hall
Doors: 8 PM
Tickets: $18.50
19+

Garage rock from Madrid.

Cass McCombs (w/ Delicate Steve)

The Horseshoe Tavern

Doors: 8:30 PM

Tickets: $15.50

19+

Mellow folk rock with a psychedelic twist.

Thursday. October 27

Buzz Records Presents...

Duchess Says, Ice Cream, Bad Channels, and Plasmalab

The Garrison

Doors: 9 PM

Tickets: $10

19+

Local punk, dance, electro-pop presented by Toronto record label Buzz Records.

Matt Cooke & Grand Marquis, Pete Casey & The Vikkies, Weatherstone

The Dakota Tavern

Doors: 8 PM

Local country/folk.

Friday, October 28

La Sera w/ Springtime Carnivore and Stefanie McCaroll (from Brave Shores)

The Silver Dollar Room

Doors: 9 PM

Tickets: $12.50

19+

Dream pop, noise pop from California.

Death to T.O. 6(66)

Lee's Palace/Dance Cave

Doors: 8 PM

Tickets: $25

Get spooky with local bands and musicians as they perform live tribute sets from artists including Prince, David Bowie, Nirvana, The Smiths, The Velvet Underground, and more. Don't forget your costume!

Tegan and Sara w/ Too Attached and Torres

Massey Hall

Doors: 7 PM

Tickets: $49.50 - $56.00

All Ages

Flock of Dimes (from Wye Oak) w/ Your Friend

The Drake Hotel

Doors: 7:30 PM

Tickets: $13.50

19+

Dreamy rock/pop.

Kero Kero Bonito  w/ Youngblood and Planet Pop

The Velvet Underground

Doors: 9 PM

Tickets: $13.50

19+

Electronic pop with influences from dancehall and J-pop.

Frankie Cosmos w/ Big Thief

Adelaide Hall

Doors: 7 PM

Tickets: $15.50

19+

Low-fi indie rock/anti-folk from New York inspired by Frank O'Hara and K Records.

Saturday, October 29

Weyes Blood w/ Sahara and Ducks Limited

The Baby G

Doors: 9 PM

Tickets: $10

19+

Experimental future folk.

July Talk

The Danforth Music Hall

Doors: 7 PM

Tickets: $29.50

All Ages

Alternative indie rock meets Americana from Toronto.

Sunday, October 30

Grouplove w/ Dilly Dally, MUNA

The Danforth Music Hall

Doors: 7 PM

Tickets: $30.50 - $36.00

All Ages

Indie rock/pop.

LANY w/ Transviolet
The Mod Club
Doors: 7 PM
Tickets: $18.50 - $23 (SOLD OUT)
All Ages

Upbeat dream pop from LA.






All tickets also available at Rotate This and Soundscapes.

Foxygen Post Teaser Video

It's been a while since we've heard anything from Foxygen. The California band surprised everyone when they announced that last year's tour supporting '...And Star Power' would be a "farewell tour." There had long been gossip about some tension between core band members Jonathan Rado and Sam France, and with Rado and drummer Shaun Fleming (Diane Coffee) each working on their own solo projects, it seemed like the breakup was really happening. They've been pretty quiet since then, releasing just one chaotic single '24-Hour Lover Man' in the spring of 2015. Earlier today, they posted a teaser video on Twitter, which features new music and Sam France walking down a street and into a venue. There's not a lot to go on just yet, but maybe we can expect a new album or even a tour sometime in the future. The band will play at Desert Daze in Joshua Tree this weekend (October 16th). There were no Canadian dates on their farewell tour but hopefully we can see them back in Toronto someday. Until then, you can check out the video below.

A video from Foxygen pic.twitter.com/T0aKfgQf4F

— Foxygen (@foxygentheband) October 10, 2016

Stream: Springtime Carnivore's 'Midnight Room'

Springtime Carnivore’s sophomore album Midnight Room is coming out this Friday (Oct. 7) on Autumn Tone Records. The first single ‘Face in the Moon’ was released earlier this summer and the title track dropped just a few weeks ago. The album has the same exuberant pop style of their eponymous debut, but the songs delve a little further into dream-pop this time around. It makes sense since most of Midnight Room was written in the fuzzy stages between sleep and waking, often in the middle of the night. According to a press release, Morgan began working on songs for the album after a shattering break-up and a “jagged sleep schedule." She often felt like she was “space cadeting through the weird space between sleeping and dreaming and waking and reality”. The dreamier vibe on Midnight Room could also have something to do with bringing on producer Chris Coady, who worked with dream-pop darlings Beach House on their last four albums. This one is definitely worth a listen and you can stream it right now or preorder the album from their website.

       Morgan also recently collaborated with La Sera’s Katy Goodman on an album of punk covers called Take It, It’s Yours. If you missed it, the album came out on August 26th and they take on classics from The Replacements, Bad Brains and Blondie. My personal favourite is an amazing cover of The Stooges ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ which they have turned into a haunting and beautiful pop song. Springtime Carnivore are currently on tour with La Sera and will hit Toronto later this month for a show at The Silver Dollar Room on October 28th. I caught them during their first ever Toronto show in March of 2015 when they opened for The Dodos at the Horseshoe Tavern. Check out a video of Morgan performing a solo number during the set below. Tickets are available at Rotate This, Soundscapes and Ticketfly. You do not want to miss this one!

The Growlers @ The Opera House

The Band: Brooks Nielsen (Vocals), Matt Taylor (Lead Guitar), Kyle Straka (Keyboards/Guitar), Anthony Braun Perry (Bass)

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Photos by Danielle Burton

       Friday night walking along Queen Street East, I heard the familiar surf-reggae twang of The Growlers 'Going Gets Tough' wafting out of a crowded bar and onto the sidewalk. I made the journey over the Don Valley to catch the band's only Canadian date this tour at The Opera House. Approaching the venue, I noticed a long line of fans snaking around the corner of the building and down a side street, disappearing behind The Growlers' gargantuan tour bus. The band has come a long way since I first saw them almost exactly three years ago at a Burger Records showcase at Lee's Palace in October 2013. Back then, the band was touring in a caravan of underground rock with fellow SoCal cohorts Gap Dream, Cosmonauts and Together Pangea. Toronto's own Sam Coffey and the Iron Lungs even opened the show. Now their cult following has grown enough to sell out a venue twice the size with just them on the bill.

       Their fifth studio album City Club is due out this Friday, September 30th on Cult Records, produced by none other than Julian Casablancas. The band's sound has always been hard to pin down, often cited as a unique blend somewhere between country, surf, pop, punk, psych, etc. The title track 'City Club', which premiered on Casablancas' monthly radio show Culture Void on Sirius XMU, seems to move away from their signature 'beach goth' surf vibe and expands on the disco element they experimented with on 'Chinese Fountain'. Casablancas' influence is clear on this song and as the first few chords ring out followed by distorted vocals, the song could easily fit in with one of The Strokes' later albums or even Casablancas' solo album. I'm excited to hear what they've done with the rest of City Club.

       Friday night's show was a typical Growlers party, with everyone excited, engaged and dancing all night long. The lack of an opening act made no difference since the crowd was already so excited for The Growlers they would cheer at the glimpse of any guitar tech or security guard that graced the stage even for a second. When the band finally appeared in matching white embroidered western suits, the room exploded. The floor was so tightly packed it was impossible not to move with the rhythm of the people. Sometimes it was even hard to hear Brooks Nielsen's vocals over the crowd singing and shouting along with every word. It was just a non-stop ball of energy and excitement from start to finish. From the balcony, the pit looked like a mess of bobbing heads and arms flung to the sky in ecstasy. 

       By mid-show, the sea of fans became the perfect ground for crowd surfing, with at least two or three people up at a time and Brooks offering encouragement between songs. The security guard drew the line at stage diving, but as he escorted people off stage to the right, more would jump up to playfully taunt him before falling back into the crowd. It was by far one of the most fun shows I've been to in a while. No opening act also meant we got more time with The Growlers and the band played for almost two full hours. The band finished their set with one of their earlier songs, 'Someday', but there was no way that crowd was letting them go just yet. The band came back for a three-song encore, with Brooks informing the crowd "You guys were chanting for one more song. Well, there's a couple more for ya!". My night ended just as it began, with The Growlers playing 'Going Gets Tough' and before I knew it, I was back on Queen Street East.

        I try to see The Growlers every time they come to town and if you haven't yet, you should definitely check them out next time they're around. Tour dates and tickets for this fall can be found here, including their annual Beach Goth festival in California, which has one of the coolest and most original lineups of any festival out there. And don't forget to pick up City Club this Friday at your friendly neighbourhood record store!

Article and photos by Danielle Burton.

The 2016 Hilton Concert Series: Tegan and Sara

            In 2015, Hilton partnered with Live Nation to bring their Hilton hHonors loyalty club members unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. The 2016 Hilton Concert Series kicked off in February and the fourth event, an exclusive concert with Canadian indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara, was held at Hilton Toronto on Saturday night. Hilton HHonors members and guests were treated to the full VIP experience from the moment they arrived. After confirming their name on the guest list, guests were handed wristbands and laminates as they descended an escalator into the club-like atmosphere of the private cocktail reception. The room was buzzing as people enjoyed complimentary food and drinks, a red carpet photo op, and music by a live DJ. However, it quickly cleared out when opening act Jr. Jr. took the stage shortly after 8 pm.

  
         The stage was set up in one of the adjacent conference rooms, which had been converted into an intimate concert venue for the evening. There were even two large screens on either side of the stage broadcasting the performance, although there wasn't a bad view from anywhere in the room. However, the sound left a lot to be desired. As I entered the room from the back, multi-instrumentalist and singer Joshua Epstein’s vocals were all but drowned out by the heavy lows of the bass and kick drum. The crowd of fans that stood between myself and the speakers, may have also been a factor, because the sound seemed to improve as I made my way closer to the stage.

Photo by: Danielle Burton

            Jr. Jr. (FKA Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.) is a band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 2009 by Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott. Their set consisted of mostly mellow indie-pop with a few upbeat tunes that kept the crowd interested and was a great complement to the headliner, Tegan and Sara. They played for about an hour and occasionally took breaks to talk and engage the crowd, trying hard to build up the excitement and maybe get a little more dancing going on. The audience’s hearts were won when Joshua lamented that they rarely get a chance to play in Canada and declared Toronto “a more sophisticated New York… except maybe cleaner.” The highlights came near the end of their set, as they did a lovely cover of the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” and closed with their most popular single “Gone” a summery pop song with a catchy beat and a whistling hook that was released last July. During their second-last song, Daniel jumped into the crowd making one final attempt to pump up the audience for Tegan and Sara. During the intermission, I spotted him in the main hall taking photos with fans, which solidified the feeling of being at an exclusive VIP event.

Photo by: Danielle Burton

Photo by: Danielle Burton

            Tegan and Sara took the stage just after 9:30 pm and were met with screams and applause from the room full of excited fans. They opened with “Boyfriend,” the lead single from their latest album Love You To Death released on June 3, 2016 on Neil Young’s label Vapor. This was met with even more screams and applause and immediately followed by a throwback all the way to 2004, as the duo played “Walking With A Ghost.” This was a personal highlight for me, as it was the song which introduced me to Tegan and Sara when it was covered by The White Stripes and released on their EP of the same name. They continued with a variety of songs spanning their eight studio albums and twenty year long career, stopping in between to talk to the crowd, joke and tell stories. They really seemed to enjoy engaging with their fans and the audience was loving every minute of it, especially since the setting was so intimate. At one point, Tegan was handed a cell phone from someone in the crowd and had a brief conversation with whoever was on the other end, finally telling them “Alright, listen, we’re at a concert so I’m gonna have to let you go.” This led to a great touring story from Sara, who was quiet during most of the show, about the not-so-nice surprise of getting an outrageous cell phone bill. She even threw in a few jokes and dedicated the next song to her old Motorola Razr, which was pretty funny to anyone old enough to remember the cutting-edge technology of the early millennium.

Photo by: Danielle Burton

            Towards the end of the set, Tegan introduced the backing band, which consisted of Gabrial McNair on keyboards and Brendan Buckley on drums. They sounded great and the two will be joining them for their 2016 world tour in support of Love You To Death. Tegan and Sara, although both play guitar and keyboards, were simply standing front and center with two microphones and lots of room for dancing. To the crowd’s delight, they played the classic “Back In Your Head,” which the people standing around me were already chanting for. They closed the night with the hit single “Closer,” from their last album Heartthrob. There was no encore, but guests were treated to one last surprise as they were handed a free poster for the event before exiting the hotel into a warm, summery Saturday night in Toronto.

Tegan and Sara will be back in Toronto on October 28 at Massey Hall. There are still a few tickets available at www.ticketmaster.ca.

For more information on the 2016 Hilton Concert Series, check out http://news.hiltonworldwide.com/index.cfm/misc/concert.

Article by Danielle Burton, Louder Than That's newest blogger