Toronto Music Scene

By: Erin Fahy
July 29, 2009

Do what the disc says.

I must confess that when I heard the new Our Lady Peace single “Save my life” I was giddy and joyous and told everyone I knew how I excited I was about their new disc. I had pre-listened to snippets of their new songs and happily discussed their “evolution of  sound.”

By: Tanya Bailey
July 23, 2009 

Hey, Mr. DJ – the musical conductor in our city. Giving the crowd what it needs, from R&B to Reggae....and everything in between.  Ladies and gentlemen, here is Toronto Dj Mike Stoan.

By: Sheena Lyonnais
July 19, 2009

Despite releasing four full-length albums since 2004 and having toured with everyone from the Bronx to the BellRays, Missouri band the Architects didn’t make it up to Canada until Warped Tour, which is where we caught up with the blue-collar punk band. 

By: Natasha Pavlovic
July 20, 2009
   
The boys of Billy Talent are back with their final installment of the Billy Talent trilogy -Billy Talent III.  It’s been three years since we’ve heard from these Mississauga musicians and it’s safe to say not too much has changed in terms of sound. 

By: TJ Liebgott
July 20, 2009

Man The Destroyer's self-titled debut is a combination of metal mixed with both new and old school influences.  All the songs "borrow" from a variety of metal bands and genres.  I say "borrow" because Man The Destroyer make the sound their own to the point you can't exactly pinpoint who their influences are.

By: Sheena Lyonnais
July 20, 2009

New York City’s TV/TV has become a little bit of an MTV sensation.  Their songs have been played in episodes of the Hills and the Real World and singer Josh Ocean coached a girl on how to be a rockstar on an episode of MADE.  They’ve been played on Living Lohan and Flash Gordon, been featured in magazines from Alternative Press to Pop Star and their song “Get It, Get It” is on the game NHL 2009.

By: TJ Liebgott
July 20, 2009

Ape's debut release Survival of The Fittest is a blending of styles combining classic rock with metal.  With its slow, sludgy, grove guitar riffs, Survival of the fittest sounds more like the metal of yesterday, but without all the screaming and falsettos.

By: Erin Fahy
July 19, 2009

When you’re twenty, most people ae just starting in the real world, partying, attending school or even working. The members of Benefit of a Doubt are twenty and they’ve already done two major tours across Canada, entered a high stakes “battle of the bands” competition twice and earned a spot at NXNE. Kinda makes you wish you picked up the guitar when you were younger.

By: TJ Liebgott
July 15, 2009

Warped Tour celebrated its 15th anniversary with a punk rock smorgasbord that combined the future of Warped Tour with the roots of the original festival.  Among those playing were such classic punk bands as Bad Religion and Anti-Flag and newer scene/fashion groups like Lights, Millionaires and everything in-between.  The day aimed to entertain both old school punks and today’s attention deficit MySpace fans.  The following are the bands that stood out of the 60 plus band lineup.

By: Sheena Lyonnais
July 7, 2009

Toronto’s Spirits first caught my attention during Canadian Music Week when they were added last minute to the opening slot of the sold-out Ting Tings show. Instantly I was captivated by their charismatic energy, not to mention the caliber of their musicianship. 

Having recently been signed to Sonic Unyon, the band is eager to talk about their excitement, their upcoming album and how shamelessly awesome they think they are. 

By: Sheena Lyonnais
June 28, 2009

Anyone at all in touch with the Toronto scene has at minimum heard the name Dinosaur Bones.  Their smooth blend of indie rock and spooky beach flair has made them a hometown name despite the fact they’ve only been together a little over a year. 

By: Sheena Lyonnais
June 28, 2009

Very rarely do I come across a band that commands a level of musicianship the way Dean Lickyer do.  The young band (seriously, they’re 19) infuses classic 1960s/1970s rock’n’roll with a fresh energy and perseverance normally reserved for the pros.  They dominate the stage, they command attention and they do it all with a Southern Ontario honesty and charm. 

By: Sheena Lyonnais
June 28, 2009

Spiral Beach have a lot to talk about: they’ve toured extensively for a young band, been fined for postering in Toronto, had their music featured in the Hollywood film Charlie Bartlett, and have worked with the Hidden Cameras’ Mike Olsen on two records, including their upcoming not-yet-named full-length set for a September release.  

By: TJ Liebgott
June 22, 2009

NXNE came into town at the same time as about every other festival and event you could imagine.  Toronto was overwhelmed with not only the five-day music festival, but also Pride week, Edgefest, Big on Bloor and the MMVA's.  Through all the anarchy and chaos TorontoMusicScene tried to take in as much of the 500-plus bands as possible. Here are some of the highlights:

By: Tanya Bailey
June 07, 2009

Badass of the mic in the Toronto hip hop music scene, Phatt Al is one of the few pioneers of his craft that can hit you with metal and jazz and have you screaming for more. I had the chance to chat with Mr. Versatility on how he has worked with everyone from the infamous Raggadeath to The Quartertones.  Here is Phatt Al.

By: Mike Greene
May 15, 2009

I was supposed to see Ubiqutous Synergy Seekers back in December, but a storm that can only be described as a ‘snowpocalypse’ (also coincidentally the name of the show) prevented me from making the trek down to the Sound Academy. I admired USS for their drive and determination of a postal worker to not let anything get in their way, but I could not believe the show was not rescheduled considering the weather.

By: TJ Liebgott
May 8, 2009

After a year and a half of jamming, gigging and solidifying their sound, Toronto’s The Decade of Sleep are finally ready to release their debut EP Morning Sun.  A collection of six straight-ahead rock songs, Morning Sun isn't the strongest debut, but shows a great degree of potential for The Decade of Sleep.

By: Peter Skrzypczak
May 07, 2009

Lady Sovereign has always intrigued me, as much with her witty and humorous songs as with the novelty of a white, female rapper from London who uses British slang and chastises her countrymen for saying ‘cookies’ instead of ‘biscuits.’

By: Lynn Muscat
May 07, 2009

Spring has sprung in the city and live shows are popping up all over the place. If you look hard enough you might even come across an indie music gem sprouting in an unexpected location such as busking on the sidewalk outside of Preloved on Queen St. West, which is where I met up with Vancouver’s Hey Ocean! before their show at the Horseshoe Tavern on April 24.

By: Sheena Lyonnais
April 29, 2009
 
The first thing that caught my eye about Beekeeper’s Society’s First Year Film School EP was the heart they put into their packaging.  Four tracks found themselves blanketed in light cardboard printed in a newsprint fashion, a bio set up like a newspaper article with four individual copies of Polaroids printed with the lyrics.  The bio describes how this EP came together like the processing of black room photography and it strikes me just how much this band cares about the craft of their music.