Country music, funny people and prizes?! Tonight, Monday June 28th, you can shake off the G20 blues at the Dakota Tavern. The Dakota Tavern is hosting a fundraiser for the production of “Haunted Hillbilly”. Haunted Hillbilly is a show that will be staged as part of the Summerworks Theatre Festival.

Haunted Hillbilly Hootenany
Dakota Tavern
249 Ossington Ave.
Monday June 28th, 2010
$15
Music and more…
Featuring: Justin Rutledge, Afie Jurvanen, Doug Paisley, Derek McCormack, Chelsea P. Manders, Matt Barber and others.

Do cheap drinks, no cover and 1/2 price wings sound like music to your ears? What about the musical stylings of Dan Arget?

Yes Tuesday night is Drink and Destroy night at 751. On tap will be a premiere of This Time Tomorrow, a sick skate video with Philly flava and footage gathered from the East Coast, London UK, Paris, Athens, Berlin and more. Catch the screening and you’ll also have a chance to pick up the latest issue of COLOR magazine. Spring is nearly hear. Get your stoke on around 9pm.

This Time Tomorrow Premiere / COLOR 8.1 Party
Tuesday March 9, 2010
Drink & Destroy @ 751
751 Queen Street West
No cover. 19+

Quest for Fire rocking out in the Hammer. They headlined at the Casbah February 27, 2010.

Made the trip out to Hamilton to see Toronto’s Quest For Fire. The band has been “on pause” with some members working on other projects like Pink Mountaintops. Glad they are “back”. Word is that they will have a new album later this year. Can’t wait. Until then their next show in Toronto is at the Garrison Saturday (March 6th).

Canaille, the rich and dynamic Toronto jazz quartet, hit the stage again this Friday. You may have caught their set at Wavelength 500 which was amazing. Check out their new full length on iTunes or Zunior or better yet LIVE THIS FRIDAY…

Friday February 18, 2010
Canaille at the Holy Oak Cafe
1241 Bloor St, just east of Lansdowne
PWYC

Tortoise are touring the East coast and land in Toronto Thursday! Glad to have the opportunity to see them again. The latest and 6th full length album, BEACONS OF ANCESTORSHIP, is another solid effort. One of the trailblazers on the epic Thrill Jockey label and definitely worth checking out, especially LIVE!

Thursday February 18, 2010

Tortoise with Dissapears at Lee’s Palace
529 Bloor St. W. Toronto
19+
$20.00 at the door

Wavelength 500 kicks off Wednesday night. That’s 10 years of great indie rock goodness culminating in a huge super festival. Come out a catch Bruce Peninsula, Evening Hymns, Pony da Look, Deep Dark United, and Canaille. A full festival pass costs $50 but that will get you all the stacked shows from Wednesday through Sunday.

Check the Wavelength site for more details. Not to be missed!

Wavelength 500 – Show #1 – February 10, 2010
The Music Gallery
197 John Street
Bruce Peninsula, Evening Hymns, Pony da Look, Deep Dark United, and the Canaille
Doors 7pm
$12 adv / $15 door ($10 Music Gallery members)

GZA rocked the house with Pro Tools and Liquid Swords at the Sound Academy on January 25th, 2010.

Despite a deep set of opening acts and the usual mild mannered Toronto crowd GZA, rocked the Sound Academy. Opening for GZA (and what a difficult task that must have been!!!) were The WILDcore, Skratch Bastid, and Shing Shing Regime.

The WILDcore started the evening and were an interesting mix of live instruments, some DJing and MC’s. Glad that they were not the horrible rap metal of the 90’s. They seemed to blend break beats and mixed them with interesting pop/rock/even pop punk edginess.

Skratch Bastid‘s set was an impressive showcase of turntablism. Like a good DJ he stirred the ground and built up the momentum.

Shing Shing Regime held their own. I’m sure these guys will continue to make Ontario proud with solid Hip Hop.

Of course the headliner came correct. MC Gary Grice aka The Genius aka The GZA… Delivered, period…

One of the legends of the Wu-Tang Clan stops by the Sound Academy tonight. GZA the Genius is in town and a great way to see one of the best Wu members live. Long live Liquid Swords…

GZA @ Sound Academy
Doors Open at 8pm
19+
11 Polson Street
$20 – Ticketmaster

Pleased to hear a track from Saint Dirt Elementary School on this month’s Zunior Music Sampler. Saint Dirt Elementary School are an interesting mix of lap steel and jazz best seen and heard live at the cozy Tranzac club. Their latest release, Ice Cream Man Dreams, is a solid album.

As always Zunior is a great place to get quality independent Canadian Music via download. A lot of out of print releases are available often at higher resolution than iTunes and cost less! Toronto bands and labels are well represented but it never hurts to browse and discover others. The monthly sampler is a great way to start!

Saint Dirt Elementary School @ The Tranzac
292 Brunswick Avenue
Tuesday August 18th
$5 or PWYC

Yesterday afternoon’s Guinness Book of World Records attempt at largest guitar ensemble attempt was astounding. In 2007 Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany brought together 1,802 guitarists to play Smoke on the Water. Neil Young’s Helpless was to be The Great Canadian Tune to rally Toronto guitarists and beat the record. We were close. “Just” 1,623 made it! While just shy of the record seeing a city block wrapped with a line up of guitar players was pretty cool.